The Food in Bradford Schools (FIBS) Study: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Investigation of Adolescent School Food Choices in the Born in Bradford Age of Wonder Study

Abstract

Background Diet is central to good health; however, adolescent diets are generally of poorer quality, increasing the risk of diet-related diseases such as overweight/obesity. Schools provide an important setting for studying young people’s dietary behaviours and diet quality, but school food research is often limited by small sample sizes, restricted durations and a reliance on self-report measures. Cashless catering systems routinely capture students’ food purchases throughout the school day, generating large-scale school food purchase data (SFPD). These systems therefore offer a promising opportunity to study adolescents’ dietary behaviours at scale and over time. However, the feasibility and acceptability of using such data for research in secondary school settings remains unclear. Methods The Food in Bradford Schools (FIBS) study is a large-scale mixed-methods study that aims to assess the feasibility of using routinely collected school food purchase data (SFPD) for research purposes. The study also explores if SFPD can be linked to longitudinal survey data as part of the Born in Bradford Age of Wonder study. FIBS includes five work packages: (1) co-production and stakeholder engagement; (2) feasibility and acceptability testing (3) quantitative case study, (4) qualitative methods; and (5) dissemination. Conclusions The FIBS study will demonstrate the utility of (linked) SFPD for research on adolescents’ dietary behaviours and inequalities. Through co-production, stakeholder engagement, and responsive dissemination efforts, the study will also generate actionable insights to support schools, researchers, and policymakers in improving young people’s dietary behaviours.