Background: In this study, we examined nutrition-related topics among adolescent students attending schools with different Indices of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA).
Method: Participating students (N = 206) from 5 schools in Western Australia completed a paper-based questionnaire on nutrition-related topics. Frequencies and independent chi-square tests were used to identify differences between sexes and school ICSEA.
Results: Of the participating students, 75% were interested in learning about 8 of 16 topics. We found statistically significant differences by sex (p < .01) for "Eating the right foods for preventing illness and disease," "Eating the right food for being active" among girls, and "Reducing food waste" among boys. We also noted differences by school ICSEA.
Conclusion: Acknowledging sex and socioeducational differences in teaching and learning may help teachers to engage adolescent students in nutrition education.
Keywords: child and adolescent health; nutrition and diet; school health instruction.
© 2021 The Authors. Journal of School Health published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. on behalf of American School Health Association.