From the cafeteria to retail: a look to the food environment and its scholars in public schools in a brazilian municipality

Abstract

The school food environment can be considered any space where students interact with food, both within and around the school. The objective was to describe the food environments anthropometric indicators of the nutritional status of elementary public schools in a Brazilian municipality.. This is a descriptive exploratory study conducted in 2023 and 2024 in fifteen municipal schools with children aged seven to twelve years in Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil. Data collection was carried out in phases, under the responsibility of the lead researcher and a scientific trainee, using audits with presence/absence checklist tools, field diaries, and geolocation. The students underwent anthropometric classification of nutritional status, and in-depth interviews were conducted with actors from the school food environment.. The data were described in narratives and descriptive measures, and a problem tree illustrated the findings from the interviews. Out of the fifteen audited schools, up to 50% (n=7) had educational projects, and in up to 90% (n=13), the meals were appealing. Around the schools, there were 221 establishments: 95% (n=210) formal and 15% (n=11) informal. Among the 1,816 students evaluated using the z-score, 60% (n=1,099) had a normal Body Mass Index (BMI), 10% (n=177) were classified as obese (weight), and 99% (n=1,806) had a normal height. From the 43 interviews, the importance of school meals as the primary source of nutrition for students, in the face of food insecurity, was highlighted. The findings underscore the need for sustainable intersectoral actions to address the demands between rural and urban schools. It is suggested that future studies adopt methodologies to understand the multifaceted nature of school food environments.