What motivates their food choice? children are key informants

In Australia, children are not eating according to the Australian Dietary Guidelines despite the incorporationof numerous public health initiatives in the school setting. Literature regarding children's viewsabout what influences their food choice is limited. Incorporating children in the creation of strategies tobuild healthy public policy aligns with the World Health Organisation (WHO) Ottawa Charter framework.In this qualitative study we used participatory action research to determine why children make the foodchoices they do. Five action cycles were used to collect data from school children and the school canteen.Two of the action cycles, which are the focus of this paper, used Discovery Days (where children workedin groups to design a canteen menu) to collect data from 100 students on each day across grades two tosix. Each group recorded and presented the reasons they made the food choices for the menu. Each daywas captured by video and audio recordings were transcribed then analysed using a ConventionalContent Analysis to identify themes and then theoretical concepts. Emerging theoretical conceptsdescribing children's decision-making criteria included pleasure, texture, social acceptability, versatilityand eating context. Our study found children are reliable informants about factors that influence theirfood choice. Using theoretical concepts as reported by children could be the foundation required to buildmore effective programs to facilitate healthy decision-making, supportive environments and healthpolicy in the school setting to create healthy food that is desirable to children