The Role of Food Vendors in School Food Environments: A Qualitative Study in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

The Harvard Center for African Studies offers funding to Harvard graduate students traveling to Africa for thesis or dissertation research or for fieldwork connected to an academic project. At the end of their CAS-sponsored travels, students must submit a written report detailing their research experience, including some of the challenges and highlights from their time in Africa. We are excited to showcase the great work our grant recipients are doing by sharing some of their reports. Below is the written report from HSPH student, Lexi Farina, who travelled to Tanzania with the Africa Academic for Public Health for her research project entitled: Role of Food Vendors in School Food Environments: Exploratory Qualitative Study in Tanzania.

The Role of Food Vendors in School Food Environments: A Qualitative Study in Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaLexi Farina | HSPH

What is for lunch today? Many students wonder this as they sit in school. A nutritious and balanced meal can help fuel their brains to support their studies. In Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania, a school-based survey with 1257 students conducted by the Africa Research, Implementation Science, and Education (ARISE) Network found many schools lack a cafeteria or canteen. Therefore, students rely on food vendors to purchase food while at school. These vendors are small-scale entrepreneurs who sell a variety of prepared foods and beverages either within the school premise or within a 5-minute walking distance around the perimeter of the school. The vendors often sell snacks, processed foods, and fried foods, with fewer vendors selling fruits and animal products. Beyond the types of foods sold, little is known about the role of food vendors. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the role of food vendors in supporting access to diverse and nutritious foods for adolescent students at school. This work is done in collaboration with the Africa Academy for Public Health (AAPH), an independent organization based in Tanzania dedicated to advancing public health priorities in sub-Saharan Africa through innovative research, training, capacity building, and knowledge translation.

 
Two food vendors at a secondary school in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Research Methodology 
In June 2024, I had the privilege of traveling to Dar es Salaam and working with the AAPH team to conduct a series of qualitative data collections with various stakeholder groups at two secondary schools. This included four workshops with 33 food vendors, located both within and around the school premises, to discuss their food offerings, interactions with adolescents, and the challenges and enablers to providing nutritious food. Additionally, we conducted focus group discussions with 32 adolescent students to learn about their decision-making processes regarding food choices and vendor utilization. Finally, we held two interviews with the school principals of each secondary school to gain their perspectives on the school food environment and interactions with food vendors. In each of these sessions, we also brainstormed potential solutions and implementation strategies for improving access to nutritious foods in the future.

Adolescent student focus group discussion (left) and workshop with food vendors (right)

Highlights & Challenges

Highlights
An exciting aspect of the research process was the opportunity to use creative methods for data collection. For the food vendor workshops we moved beyond simple question-and-answer sessions by incorporating various engaging activities. For example, we used picture cards displaying different food items to assess perceptions of healthfulness. Additionally, we had participants work in teams to create meals using the food items they sold, reflecting on aspects such as nutrition, affordability, and adolescent likeability. These activities not only made the sessions more engaging but also helped overcome literacy barriers among the participants.

Another highlight was hearing experiences from a diverse set of stakeholders to gain a complete understanding of the school food environment. To demonstrate this point, I will share a brief example. At one school, food vendors switched from selling fried cassava to boiled cassava to comply with government guidelines promoting nutritious foods in schools. However, this change led to a decrease in sales because students preferred fried cassava. In response, the vendors began to alternate between selling boiled and fried cassava every other day. The students quickly caught on and would save their money for the fried cassava days. This example highlights the importance of incorporating perspectives of all stakeholders to ensure future solutions are mutually beneficial to the school, food vendors, and the nutrition of the students.

Lastly, I was inspired to see the willingness of food vendors to play an active role in promoting nutritious food, despite the limited resources available. Many of the food vendors within the school are parents of students and mentioned feeling a responsibility to act as parents to all students. They try to help out where they can, such as giving free food to students who don’t have money. I am excited that this research begins to explore potential solutions that will enable food vendors to better support their community that they care deeply about.

Challenges
This process also included many challenges along the way. A major personal challenge is that I do not speak Swahili, the local language in Tanzania, so I had to rely on my colleagues at AAPH to lead the data collection activities. This was difficult for me as qualitative research relies on a deep understanding of participants’ experiences as well as cultural and contextual nuances. Additionally, logistical challenges required flexibility from the research team. First, the data collection activities took place while students were on a month-long break from school, so our sample was limited to the students taking courses during the break. Additionally, food vendors are very busy people, so it was challenging for some groups to attend the full workshop as they had to prepare their foods to be sold. Finally, some of the materials for the food vendor workshops had to be adapted on the spot due to the literacy challenges faced by the participants. Despite these obstacles, I am grateful for the support from the AAPH team, who helped me adapt and overcome these challenges to complete the work.

Next Steps
The team is currently analyzing the data collected and will write a report of the findings. The report will be shared with the school community and other relevant stakeholders to inform program and policy change to benefit adolescent nutrition. Ideally, this work will also shape ongoing research efforts by AAPH and HSPH to develop an whole-school intervention to improve nutrition by incorporating food vendors in the next phase.

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Learn more and apply for the CAS Graduate Research Travel Grants on our website. 

Spring 2024 Graduate Research Travel Grant Recipient Spotlight: Lexi Farina | HSPH