Hospitals, Schools, Aged Care and Vending Machines: what are healthy choices here?

Middle  Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Personal and social capability

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Cooperative Learning Activity

1. In a group of 3 - 4 students, read the following abstract from Food Policy, Vol 79, August 2018, pg 247 -255 by C Bos; I. van der Lans, E van Kleef & H van Trijp:

"Abstract
Vending machines often provide relatively energy-dense snack foods and beverages at a wide variety of points-of-purchase. Vending-machine interventions that stimulate low-calorie choices can therefore play a role in improving the healthfulness of the food environment landscape. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of four vending-machine interventions, varying in level of intrusiveness, on consumers’ choices, consumers’ acceptance of such interventions, and consumers’ evaluations of the choice they made.

In a between-subjects design experiment (N = 206), respondents were asked to purchase a snack and a beverage from a vending machine. In addition to a no-intervention condition, four types of incrementally intrusive interventions were implemented: calorie labelling, increasing accessibility of low-calorie choices, increasing prices of high-calorie choices, and restricting availability of high-calorie choices. A post-choice questionnaire included items concerning intervention acceptance, and assortment and choice evaluations.

Compared to the no-intervention condition, the most intrusive intervention (i.e. restricting availability of high-calorie choices) led to more low-calorie choices (39% vs. 78%), while less intrusive interventions (i.e. calorie labelling, increasing accessibility of low-calorie choices, and increasing prices of high-calorie choices) did not. Intervention acceptance and choice evaluations were equally high across the four intervention types.

Overall, the results suggest that restricting high-calorie options is a promising route to stimulate healthier choices from vending machines. As such, the present study provides intervention opportunities in the combat against obesity for governments and their potential allies, such as food manufacturers and the food service industry." (Source: ScienceDirect)

2.

What is your initial reaction to this experiment? Discuss as a group.

3. As a group, write down all the healthy food options that could be put into a vending machine in each of the scenarios:

a. Hospitals - should there be different snacks for different parts of the hospital?

b. Schools - different snacks for Primary vs High School?

c. Aged Care - does it matter????

Firstly, discuss "healthy food" - what is it? What would be your group's criteria for each group? Remember to give reasons!

4. As a class, collate all the healthy food options and again, work out the class' criteria for "healthy food".

If you would like to look at another activity around this issue, go to Hospital Administrator - McHospitals - should we have them?