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1.4 Significance Of The Study This Study Will Help Enhance Our Understanding ...



1.4 Significance of the Study
This study will help enhance our understanding of the extent of compliance of primary schools in South Wales to the healthy school criteria set for attaining the National Healthy School status, (Department of Health, 2005, p. 4). Additionally and to some extent, it tries to elicit differences in the development and implementation of specific components that make up their food and drink policies such as tuck shop restrictions; vending machine policies; including the roles that pupils, governing bodies and parents play. This study contributes to the existing literature on the healthy eating theme of the National Healthy School status, which has a current dearth of research materials.
1.5 Research Design

This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study consisting of a survey of 100 primary schools in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. The research method is a self-administered questionnaire designed to assess the extent to which food and drink policies are implemented within the chosen schools with particular regard to mid-morning break.
A self administered questionnaire has been chosen because it is a relatively quick and economic way of ascertaining information from a large sample (Bell, 1993). It excludes interviewer bias, and is one of the least invasive and time consuming methods of data collection.
The independent variable is the school, and the dependent variable is the implementation of a nutrition policy.

1.6 Scope of the Study
Although the importance of a thorough analysis that would address all factors that affect the development and implementation of food and drink policies for mid-morning break in primary schools cannot be undermined, such an undertaking would be ambitious at this time, as research on the topic has only recently started. This study concentrates on the determination of the existence of food and drink policies being implemented in the primary schools in South Wales and the description of the details of components of the policies such as tuck shop restrictions on sale of less healthy foods, vending machine guidelines and the influence of pupils, governing bodies, teaching personnel and parents in the development, implementation and monitoring of such policies.
1.7 Outline of the Study
The content of this study is as follows: Chapter 2 provides an overview and an analysis of existent literature on food and drink policy development and implementation in schools, including the rationale behind the need for healthy eating policy development and implementation in schools. Chapter 3 explains the methodology used to assess the extent to which food and drink policies are implemented within the chosen schools with particular regard to mid-morning break. Chapters 4 and 5 present the main findings of the study.


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