Sun safety and nutrition in the Healthy Promoting Schools Framework

Sally Blane, SunSmart Manager at Cancer Council WA and Megan Sauzier, Chief Executive Officer at Foodcore Nutrition Services (formerly, WA School Canteen Association) chat about tips for teachers about sun safety and nutrition.

In addition to the importance of teachers being good role models, you will hear about small changes that can have a big impact. Focusing on the three components of the HPS framework, schools can implement strategies to have better health outcomes for children and young people, such as ditching jelly snakes from school sports carnivals.  

For more information, tools and resources visit:

www.generationsunsmart.com.au

www.waschoolcanteens.org.au

www.fueltogo.com.au  

www.wahpsa.org.au 

Transcript

00:00:05 Sally

Hi Megan.

00:00:07 Megan

Hi Sally.

00:00:09 Sally

So my name's Sally.

00:00:10 Sally

I'm the SunSmart Manager at Cancer Council WA and also a member of the ATFA Health Promoting Schools Committee.

00:00:19 Megan

And I'm Megan Sauzier.

00:00:20 Megan

I'm the CEO from the WA School Canteen Association.

00:00:24 Megan

I'm also a member of the ATFA Health Promoting Schools Committee and this is our first podcast.

00:00:29 Sally

And we thought we'd just give you a bit of context about our areas of expertise.

00:00:34 Sally

We both work with schools, but potentially not directly in school.

00:00:38 Sally

So in terms of the work that we do in SunSmart at Cancer Council, we want to support schools to have a sun protective environment for schools so that kids can and staff can turn up at school every day and know that they have sun protection measures in place.

00:00:56 Sally

The other thing that we aim to do is to increase the education of the public to have more, some protective knowledge.

00:01:04 Sally

And Megan's in the nutrition space.

00:01:06 Megan

We are.

00:01:07 Megan

So in terms of our school support, it's all about creating a healthy school, a healthy food environment in schools.

00:01:14 Megan

And that comes down to three main services for us.

00:01:17 Megan

That's around nutrition and menu planning in the school canteen, the business operations of school canteens,

00:01:24 Megan

food safety in school canteens.

00:01:26 Megan

And then on a broader sense, it's about that whole school approach to healthy eating.

00:01:30 Megan

So working with teachers, parents, principals, the leadership team to ensure that healthy eating is on the agenda everywhere in the school.

00:01:38 Sally

Cool.

00:01:39 Sally

So although we both work in the same kind of agency space and we both have a long association, particularly with the health promoting schools.

00:01:49 Sally

framework, I would actually hazard a guess of maybe decades and days of work in that space and really promoting that whole school approach to schools.

00:02:00 Megan

And what we wanted to do today was talk about the Health Promoting Schools framework, which has three circles that interconnect, that talk about curriculum, teaching and learning in one, school organisation, ethos and environment in another.

00:02:14 Megan

And the third section is partnerships and services.

00:02:17 Megan

But rather than just reiterate all the sections of the model and talk to you about all the strategies that you could implement, we thought we'd drill down into two specific topics, starting with me asking Sally some questions about what do teachers find frustrating about sun safety, sun protection when it comes to primary school kids and high school kids.

00:02:40 Sally

Yeah, look, I think it's becoming, having that sun protection practice as it routines.

00:02:45 Sally

So we know that to protect your skin from future skin cancers, you have to do those bad things, the slip, slop, slap, seek and slide.

00:02:54 Sally

But to do that, you have to have a bit of preparation for it.

00:02:57 Sally

So it's putting on sunscreen at the start of a PE lesson.

00:03:00 Sally

It's making sure all the kids have got hats.

00:03:03 Sally

It's making sure teachers are doing those things as well.

00:03:06 Sally

So that can be a little bit tricky just to fit into, you know, an hour or a 50 minute lesson.

00:03:11 Sally

To get all of those things in place can take up

00:03:15 Sally

a little bit of time.

00:03:16 Sally

But I guess what we're seeing increasingly is that it's a bit of an expectation, particularly from parents.

00:03:22 Sally

They sort of expect if kids are going to be outside for a phys ed lesson.

00:03:27 Sally

that they will have that protection from the sun and from that UV radiation.

00:03:32 Sally

And no teacher wants a kid to come out of school sunburned.

00:03:37 Sally

So that's what we're trying to avoid.

00:03:40 Megan

And Sally, tell me, do you still have, or endorse, or do schools still endorse the no hat, no play rule?

00:03:46 Sally

No, and we never...

00:03:48 Sally

Right, really.

00:03:49 Sally

So look, physical activity, obviously, it really incredibly important.

00:03:53 Sally

We know that physical activity does protect you against some cancers.

00:03:57 Sally

So we want kids to be out there running around, getting as much physical activity, particularly that huff and puff activity as they possibly can.

00:04:05 Sally

but they need to have a hat on.

00:04:07 Sally

So we have more of a no hat, play in the shade approach, but even better still, making sure that kids do have hats on when they're outside playing.

00:04:17 Sally

We certainly don't want kids benched for not having a hat.

00:04:21 Sally

To be honest, I would have been one of those kids in school who would have forgotten my hat to get out of PE.

00:04:27 Sally

I was the kind of kid who needed that physical activity.

00:04:30 Sally

So it's really encouraging physical activity in all kids and not excluding them because they don't have a hat.

00:04:37 Megan

Yeah.

00:04:37 Megan

And my son is only three, so he's not at school yet.

00:04:41 Megan

But even in our house, we have caps, we have bucket hats, we have broad brim hats.

00:04:46 Megan

What do you recommend?

00:04:47 Sally

So look,

00:04:49 Sally

We know that most skin cancers happen around the face.

00:04:52 Sally

So having a hat that protects the size of the face, the neck, the ears, so a brimmed hat is definitely the best choice.

00:05:00 Sally

We know that particularly for PE teachers that CAPS, you know, do feature a little bit, but it's important to note as well with PE teachers particularly, that their personal risk of skin cancer is really high, that occupational risk, they're being exposed to a lot of UV.

00:05:16 Sally

So for teachers, absolutely brimmed hats and kids as well, having a brimmed hat on at all times.

00:05:25 Sally

However, acknowledging sometimes in PE, you do need to take those hats off to compete.

00:05:30 Sally

And similarly with swimming carnivals, you might have a carnival where it's quite competitive.

00:05:37 Sally

Kids are at quite a high level.

00:05:39 Sally

If they're not wearing rashes, fine, but

00:05:42 Sally

If for the rest of the day, then it's covering up and protecting their skin.

00:05:47 Sally

So it needs to be a sensible sun protection while still encouraging physical activity.

00:05:55 Megan

And talking about the Health Promoted Schools model and looking at all of the things you've just spoken about.

00:06:01 Megan

So you've spoken about teaching kids, so teaching and curriculum and that sort of thing.

00:06:04 Megan

But what about PNCs?

00:06:06 Megan

How could we work with the PNCs in schools?

00:06:09 Sally

So we've found that PNCs or those parent bodies are really supportive of sun protection in schools.

00:06:16 Sally

So they're the ones who often dictate what the uniform is for starters.

00:06:20 Sally

And they often are very happy to provide sunscreen for the school and certainly for the peer teachers.

00:06:27 Sally

And basically, if you don't ask, then it's a no.

00:06:31 Sally

But we would really encourage teachers to go to the PNC, state your case about why this is important.

00:06:38 Sally

and PNCs will often come to the party.

00:06:41 Megan

And fun sun cream for classrooms.

00:06:43 Sally

Absolutely.

00:06:43 Sally

And also that little pot that is going around to those peer lessons as well.

00:06:49 Megan

Excellent.

00:06:50 Megan

And one last question.

00:06:51 Megan

Do you have a resource or a template or something around a SunSmart policy?

00:06:57 Sally

Yes, we sure do.

00:06:58 Sally

And nationally as well.

00:06:59 Sally

So nationally, there is the SunSmart Schools program, a lot more for primary schools.

00:07:04 Sally

There's a whole bunch of resources and templates there, but also with high schools as well.

00:07:09 Sally

We acknowledge that high schools are starting from a bit of a, probably a lower base.

00:07:15 Sally

And it's just getting high schools to do a little bit more to improve sun protection at that school.

00:07:20 Sally

They might not be at the stage where they can have a full-blown policy, but even things like teachers wearing hats, having sunscreen at carnivals and really role modeling those behaviors plays a massive part.

00:07:33 Sally

And until you kind of get those things in place, a policy will often flow from that anyway.

00:07:39 Sally

But first of all, protect yourself and then the rest does flow on.

00:07:44 Megan

Great tip.

00:07:46 Sally

So in terms of nutrition, we spoke a little bit about a whole school approach.

00:07:51 Sally

And so a similar sort of viewpoint for nutrition.

00:07:55 Megan

Definitely.

00:07:56 Megan

So whole school approach generally means that there's a policy about the sorts of food and drinks that your school will and won't supply through the school canteen or at school events.

00:08:07 Megan

But beyond the policy, certainly from a classroom perspective and what teachers are telling us is they get

00:08:14 Megan

frustrated with and talking about sports carnivals as well with Sally.

00:08:18 Megan

We often see snakes, so the lolly snakes come out or sports drinks come out at that time.

00:08:24 Megan

So teachers are saying to us, what do we do?

00:08:26 Megan

Because the kids don't need those, that sugar fix at that time.

00:08:31 Megan

So we have, like Sally, we have policies and fact sheets and things on our website, but it is about setting up expectations early.

00:08:37 Megan

So talking to the kids in the classroom curriculum about what's in a sports drink, why do they think they need it?

00:08:43 Megan

And actually giving them the evidence and the science around all we need is water.

00:08:47 Megan

Water is actually also free.

00:08:49 Megan

So all schools from an environmental and facilities perspective have water fountains.

00:08:54 Megan

So filling up a water bottle is a far better choice than buying a sports drink and getting that sugar fix without much, much else

00:09:01 Megan

from a nutrition point of view.

00:09:03 Megan

And then lollies, there's really no place for lollies.

00:09:06 Megan

Lollies are an absolute treat thing.

00:09:09 Megan

They're a discretionary item.

00:09:10 Megan

There's no nutrition in them.

00:09:12 Megan

That's not what they need at the sports carnival.

00:09:14 Megan

They need to be fueling up with healthy food and drinks.

00:09:16 Megan

So having a really good lunch and morning tea, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, sandwiches, rolls, wraps, and lots of water so that they stay hydrated.

00:09:28 Sally

And sometimes in schools, those days are big, you know, they're exciting.

00:09:32 Sally

There's a lot of build up to them.

00:09:33 Sally

And it's almost like they'd become a bit of a, they're certainly out of routine.

00:09:37 Sally

And that means that sometimes kids are more likely to seek out treats on that day.

00:09:42 Sally

But it sounds like what you're saying is like, keep that consistency in terms of sports performance.

00:09:47 Sally

They don't eat that food, particularly when they're quite young and even as.

00:09:52 Megan

Absolutely.

00:09:54 Sally

So just keeping consistency, but also role modeling and kids understanding that that school space is a healthy space as well, and those healthy behaviours are encouraged.

00:10:05 Megan

Absolutely.

00:10:05 Megan

And certainly in a high school, you want to talk about performance.

00:10:08 Megan

So we want all kids to do the best that they can on that day.

00:10:12 Megan

And what's going to help them do that is fueling up with those healthy food and drinks all day long, not having lollies and thinking that that's going to actually improve their performance when it won't.

00:10:24 Megan

And also with the sports drinks, unless you're an endurance athlete, which means you're doing constant physical activity for multiple hours at a time, you don't need a sports drink.

00:10:33 Sally

No, no.

00:10:34 Sally

And so expensive.

00:10:35 Megan

Yes.

00:10:36 Megan

And our teachers really need to role model that as well.

00:10:38 Megan

So we want to see you eating healthy food and drinks and having lots of water and those sustainable choices as well.

00:10:45 Megan

So if you're pulling, if you're bringing in sports drinks or other commercial drinks like that, then you're creating waste and you're adding to

00:10:54 Megan

the waste and not focusing on sustainability.

00:10:56 Megan

So lots of our schools focus on sustainability and recyclable things.

00:11:00 Megan

So filling up a reusable water bottle is the best choice.

00:11:02 Sally

Cool.

00:11:03 Sally

So if you're a fizzetta and that might be the culture in your school though, you know, there is the lollies at the carnival and the sports drinks.

00:11:11 Sally

What's one small thing that you could do as a

00:11:15 Sally

health advocate or as a phys editor to even make a small change in that space.

00:11:20 Megan

Sure.

00:11:20 Megan

So even what Sally was talking about, talk to your P&C, talk to your parent group.

00:11:24 Megan

They're the ones who are going to help to advocate for what we expect for healthy food and drinks at all times in the school, including those events.

00:11:32 Megan

Get some communication out through the school newsletter on Facebook about how to appropriately fuel up for the day and give those sorts of suggestions.

00:11:41 Megan

And there's a bunch of resources on our website and also on the Fuel to Go and Play website.

00:11:45 Megan

that can talk about what you could have.

00:11:47 Megan

So giving people solutions, not just saying these things we don't want at our sports carnival, but what are you going to bring?

00:11:54 Sally

Beautiful.

00:11:55 Sally

And I guess to wrap up as well, we know that this can be a lot of time, but also headspace to make that change in schools.

00:12:04 Sally

And I guess the final bit of advice from me is reach out to agencies like the Cancer Council, like the Canteen Association in your state or territory, because we often have the evidence behind

00:12:15 Sally

mind why these things should happen.

00:12:18 Sally

And a lot of materials are already prepared and ready to go.

00:12:22 Sally

And there are so many agencies out there who are really waiting and are actually it's their job to support schools in this way.

00:12:30 Sally

So please contact them.

00:12:31 Sally

It's incredible how many are out there just waiting for that support.

00:12:35 Megan

And also if you're already doing these things and you're already doing a great job, let us help you celebrate that.

00:12:40 Megan

So we have a range of ways that we can promote case studies.

00:12:44 Megan

They could be a simple

00:12:46 Megan

paragraph that goes onto social media, or it could be a video that we come out and do some filming, depending on what you're doing.

00:12:52 Megan

So keep in touch with us.

00:12:53 Megan

That's certainly from a WA perspective, but there are other agencies in other states and territories that we can connect you with as well.

00:13:00 Sally

Beautiful.

00:13:00 Sally

All right.

00:13:01 Sally

Thanks, Megan.

00:13:01 Sally

Great to have the chat.

00:13:02 Megan

Thanks, everyone.

00:13:03 Megan

Bye.