Junk food bribes to get kids to school

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  • TEN
  • 19 Nov 2014
  • News

PRIMARY schools are bribing students with pizza parties and ice blocks to improve attendance rates, in a move that health authorities have slam­med as creating a generation of comfort-eating kids.

A review of state school ­attendance rates found some classes were using the food incentives of pizza parties on a Friday afternoon to encourage attendance targets to be met.

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Queensland Health senior public health nutritionist ­Penelope Hamilton said using food as a reward undermined the healthy eating habits that were being taught to children.

“Giving pizza and ice blocks as a reward often leads to children overeating these ­‘special’ foods that have little nutritional value,” she said.

“In addition, it can interfere with kids’ natural ability to regulate their eating, and encourages them to eat when they’re not hungry to reward themselves.”

Ms Hamilton said allowing children to indulge in unhealthy foods sent a mixed message.

“They may also start asso­ciating these ‘special’ foods with certain moods – when you feel good about yourself, for instance, it’s OK to reach for a sweet.”

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Education and Innovation Committee chair Rosemary Menkens said she had seen a couple of schools use treats like pizza to reward students but stressed the strategy was not in all state schools.

“The schools in question did feel there was benefit in it; however, these strategies may not suit every school,” Ms Menkens said.

“If students are in Year 1 and getting excited to go to school, they have that excitement for school early on.”

Queensland Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said school attendance was of paramount importance in lifting student outcomes.

“If a student has an attendance record of 90 per cent every year, by the time they reach Year 10 they will only be at a Year 9 level,” he said. “That’s why schools are doing whatever it takes to get Queensland kids to school.”

He said the department had clear guidelines that schools were allowed to have pizza or ice cream days twice a term if they chose to but any more than that was not ­recommended.

“As I’ve travelled the state, I’ve seen schools use a number of strategies, including special activities, breakfast clubs and awards to improve attendance,” Mr Langbroek said.

Queensland Teachers Union president Kevin Bates said the use of food incentives showed how far schools were going to improve their attendance rates.

“Prizes for good attendance, vouchers, pizza days and field trips … are legitimate strategies but in reality they are an indication of what schools have tried to get attendance rates to where they are,” he said.

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Non-food rewards suggested by Smarter Choices

• Attention, praise or thanks

• Ribbons

• Certificates

• Stickers

• Pencils, pens, erasers

• Stencils, stamps

• Announcement on parade

• Computer time

• Listening to music

• Phone call, email or letter sent to parents

• Going to library to select a book

• Playing a game or puzzle

• Yo-yos

• Hair accessories

• Hula hoop

• Water bottles

• Balls

• Jumping rope

• Discount vouchers for skating, ten pin bowling, movies

Originally published as Junk food bribes to get kids to school