Promoting nutrition through schools in a lower middle income country, Sri Lanka

In recent decades, Sri Lanka has experienced a social, economic, demographic and environmental transition. Currently it suffers a double burden of under- and over-nutrition. It is important to align health promotion and development. This DPhil, which is part of a larger “Integrating Nutrition Promotion and Rural Development” project, investigates how schools may help improve diet, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This presentation describes findings from qualitative research with school principals and staff (n=55) on perceived barriers to healthy diet choice amongst students. Participants identified barriers at all layers of a socio-ecological framework, supporting the use of multifactorial programmes to promote nutrition.