Background: High school setting has been identified as an ideal setting to teach adolescents about healthy dietary behaviours. This study explored home economics teachers’ views on the role of high schools in enhancing adolescents’ food literacy and promoting healthy dietary behaviours.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews with 22 home economics teachers were conducted. The interview questions focused on the perceived strengths, opportunities, limitations and barriers in enhancing adolescents’ food literacy and healthy dietary behaviours in high schools in Australia. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the data. Five key themes have been identified from the interview transcripts: (1) standing of food-related life skills; (2) food literacy in the Australian school curriculum; (3) emphasis on resources; (4) building school to home nexus; and (5) learning through school canteens.
Results: Overall, home economics teachers stated that food literacy education was regarded by parents and other school staff to be a less important subject than Maths or English for adolescents to learn in high schools in Australia. Teachers indicated that most high schools offered one year compulsory food literacy education through home economics classes. However, teachers stated that the time was insufficient to develop sustainable food-related life skills and introduce broader concepts of food literacy such as environmental sustainability. The lack of financial resources and a largely non-supportive school food environment including school canteens were major factors that influenced food literacy education and improved dietary behaviours of adolescents.
Conclusion: Increased status of food literacy education in high schools would support adolescents to develop food-related life skills and mobilise them as agents of dietary behaviour change in the home setting.