Slushies before school: exploring how nearby food outlets impact the eating behaviours of secondary students in Perth, Western Australia

The external school food environment, comprising food outlets and marketing near schools, shapes what young people eat. Yet little is known about how Australian adolescents perceive and navigate these environments. Focus groups were conducted with 31 school students (Years 7–12) from Perth, Western Australia, to explore their experiences of the external school food environment and its influence on their food-related behaviours. Transcripts were thematically analysed and six themes were identified. Accessibility emphasised proximity, transport links, opening hours and speed of service, with older students using outlets as social spaces. Availability of slushies, energy drinks, snacks and fast-food meal deals influenced purchasing, while school nutrition policies offered limited deterrence. Affordability was central, with supermarkets and convenience stores perceived as better value than the school canteen. Advertising through signage, buses and social media stimulated cravings and reinforced outlet visibility. Acceptability and attitudes reflected the social desirability of fast-food outlets, peer pressure, stigma around healthy eating and anti-social behaviours. Students proposed strategies to improve the healthfulness of the external food environment, including placing restrictions on unhealthy food outlets near schools, healthier alternatives, subsidies for nutritious foods and health promotion campaigns. Overall, this study found that adolescents perceive their external school food environment as cheap, convenient and socially compelling, but overwhelmingly unhealthy. These environments reinforce poor dietary habits and normalise harmful behaviours. Urgent, co-ordinated policy action is required. Limiting unhealthy outlet density near schools and reshaping pricing and promotion strategies are essential measures to protect young people from a food system that exploits their vulnerability.