Addressing the marketing and availability of unhealthy food and beverages in and around selected schools in Ghana: a community readiness appraisal

Abstract

Objective This study assessed stakeholder readiness to address unhealthy food and beverage marketing and availability in/around Public Basic Schools (for children 4–15 years) in Greater Accra Region, the highly urbanized the administrative capital of Ghana. Design The community readiness model was used to conduct in-depth mixed methods interviews with stakeholders. Using predefined anchored rating statements, quantitative readiness scores ranging from 1 to 9 were generated. Thematic qualitative analysis was undertaken to understand barriers and facilitators that could influence the implementation of interventions. Setting Greater Accra Region, Ghana. Participants 18 key informants from various schools/ education/citizen sectors, which together represented the ‘school community’ of Greater Accra Region. Results The mean readiness scores indicated that the ‘school community’ was at the ‘preplanning’ stage of readiness (4.44±0.98) to address the marketing and availability of unhealthy food and beverages in and around schools. The mean readiness score for ‘leadership’ was the highest of all dimensions (5.36±1.60), corresponding to the ‘preparation’ stage. The lowest scores were found for ‘community knowledge of efforts’ (3.19±2.45) and ‘resources for efforts’ (3.64±0.87), both of which were at a ‘vague awareness’ stage. Conclusions The ‘school community’ recognized that the marketing and availability of unhealthy food and beverages was a problem. Additionally, the current leadership was actively supportive of continuing/improving efforts that create healthier children’s food environments. However, actions that aim to increase the ‘school community’s’ knowledge of existing interventions and securing resources to sustain those interventions are needed before introducing readiness-appropriate strategies.