For many educators, self-care is often the first thing to fall by the wayside amid the pressures of lesson planning, pastoral care, and after-hours admin. While schools have made strong strides in supporting student wellbeing, far less attention has been paid to the daily habits and health of teachers themselves.
A new Australian study is now shining a light on this often-overlooked issue, revealing the extent to which nutrition and wellbeing are being sacrificed in the name of service — and why it’s time we start putting educators’ health back on the agenda where it belongs.
University of Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Institute researcher, Tammie Jakstas, has launched the pilot phase of her groundbreaking research focused on supporting teachers to prioritise their own health and wellbeing.
Funded by Teachers Health Foundation, the Teacher Nutrition Study is taking a teacher-first approach to better health in schools and aims to uncover significant insights and fill a vast gap when it comes to the support of Australian teachers and their own wellbeing.
As a teacher and dietitian herself, Ms Jakstas knows first-hand what the challenges are for teachers.
“I used to be a teacher, so I know that a lot of teachers continually run on empty. The focus is always on helping students and being available to them throughout the school day,” Jakstas said. “As a result, I would often eat only after school was finished – and my own wellbeing and health were seriously impacted.”
Eventually, Jakstas changed her own behaviour and started having morning tea and lunch.
“I quickly realised that I was more switched on, and I enjoyed the whole experience of teaching so much more,” she said. “It was this experience that inspired the Teacher Nutrition Study, now in its third and final stage.”
Jakstas said time is the biggest barrier for teachers – as well as the growing needs of students.
“Teachers’ ever-increasing workload means their work/life balance, diet and own mental and physical wellbeing is significantly impacted,” she said. “The data supports this too – wellbeing and diet are not part of any initial teacher training.”
However, Jakstas said this needs to change.
“When teachers are responsible for role modelling healthy eating habits for their students, it’s clear we need to support them better so they can support their students.”
The first module of the study looks at why diet is important for health and wellbeing, while the second centres on key food skills and nutrition. The third module explores the benefits of cooking and meal sharing, encouraging fresh perspectives on these activities.
“We are taking a teacher-first approach and saying, ‘we know you’re important’ and here are some really simple strategies that can help boost your nutrition-related health and wellbeing,” Jakstas said.
Once the testing on the modules is done, Jakstas wants to take them into schools as part of each school’s staff wellbeing strategy.
“Feedback from the first two stages of our study has been that teachers are excited and extremely enthusiastic that this research is focused on their own health.”
The Teacher Nutrition Study is seeking teachers (primary or secondary) from around the country to complete the three test modules over the course of four months. Registrations close 5 May 2025.