Drivers of Food Choice among Children and Caregivers in Post-earthquake Nepal

Figures & data

Table 1. Sample questions used for the interviews with schoolchildren and parents

Main question/topic	Probing questions
In your opinion, what is a “healthy meal”?	Can you describe a dish that you consider as healthy? What makes a meal healthy? (e.g. ingredients or method of preparation) Do you regularly eat such meals? If not, why?
(2) Can you also give an example of an “unhealthy meal”?	What makes a meal unhealthy? How often do you eat such meals? What is the difference between a healthy meal and an unhealthy meal? If you know that certain foods are unhealthy, why do you eat them? Do you feel that you have a choice in what you eat?
(3) Let’s talk about snacks	Please write some common snacks on pieces of paper. Can you separate them in healthy and unhealthy snacks? Why do you separate them like this (what makes some snacks healthy and others unhealthy?) If you could choose any of these snacks, which one would you choose, and why? Would most other children in your class choose the same? Why, or why not? Why do you think that many children buy snacks that are not so healthy? If you think that unhealthy snacks are a problem, then what do you suggest can be done about it?

Table 2. Common meal schedule among school children, Sindhupalchok District, Nepal, 2018

Time	School schedule	Type of meal	Examples
6–7am		Breakfast	Tea or milk tea, sometimes with sugar and biscuits
8–9am		Lunch	Full meal: usually rice, daal, vegetables
10am	School starts		-
1–2pm	Midday break	Khaja (mid-day snack)	Some schools provide a mid-day meal called a tiffin, or sometimes children bring a tiffin box from home. Other children may buy a snack locally or eat nothing.
4pm	School ends	Khaja	Some children buy snacks.
7–8pm		Dinner	Full meal: usually rice, daal, vegetables, sometimes meat and/ or pickles

The Nepali school week runs from Sunday through Friday noon. Saturday is a holiday.

Figure 1. Systematized overview of the identified drivers of food choice

Table 3. Generally available snack choices and prices, Sindhupalchok District, Nepal, 2018

Snack item	Price (NPR)	Price (USD)
Panipuri (deep-fried bread ball filled with onion, potato and diluted vinegar) (2 pieces)	5	0.04
Lollipop (1 piece)	5	0.04
Chewing gum (2 pieces)	5	0.04
Samosa (deep-fried dumpling with potato, onion and spices) (1 piece)	10	0.09
Bread bun (refined wheat flour with sugar) (1 piece)	10	0.09
Chatpate (puffed rice mixed with onion, peas and other vegetables and spices) (small portion)	10	0.09
Roti (1 piece)	10	0.09
Biscuits (1 package, 45 g)	10	0.09
Banana (1 fruit)	10	0.09
Instant noodles (1 package)	20	0.18
Cheese balls (1 bag, 50 g)	20	0.18
Dalmoth (mixture of fried pulses) (1 portion)	20	0.18
Orange (1 fruit)	10–12	0.20
Chow mein (Chinese-style stir-fried noodles with chopped vegetables) (1 portion)	50	0.44
Momo (steamed dumpling filled with meat and vegetables) (10 pieces)	50–70	0.62