School meal

About: School meal is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 595 publications have been published within this topic receiving 10480 citations. The topic is also known as: hot lunch & school lunch.

School meals, educational achievement, and school competition : evidence from a randomized evaluation

Abstract: This brief summarizes the results of a gender impact evaluation study, entitled School meals, educational achievement, and school competition : evidence from a randomized evaluation, conducted between 2000 and 2002 in Kenya. The study observed the impact of subsidized school meals on school participation, educational achievement, and school finance in a developing country setting that was implemented in 25 randomly chosen preschools in a pool of 50 schools on the child level. The school feeding program had a positive significant impact on school participation (treated students participated in school 35.9 percent of the time versus 27.4 for the comparison group). The program led to a significant improvement in test scores, but only in schools where teachers were more experienced at the onset of the program. There was no impact on cognitive abilities. The program led to a significant improvement in the weight of boys, but no improvement in the height or weight of girls. The increased participation led to overcrowding, but had no impact on teacher absenteeism. Also, the school meals displaced teaching time. Funding for the study derived from the Dutch Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Internationaal Christelijk Steunfonds (ICS).

School Meals: Types of Foods Offered to and Consumed by Children at Lunch and Breakfast

Abstract: Background Children's food intakes do not meet dietary recommendations. Meals offered through the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program make substantial contributions to school-aged children's diets. Objectives This article describes foods offered in school meals and consumed by children at lunch and breakfast, and differences in foods consumed by children who did and did not participate in the school meal programs. Design Data were collected as part of the third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study, a cross-sectional, nationally representative study conducted in 2005. School menu surveys were used to identify the foods offered in school meals, and 24-hour dietary recalls were used to assess the foods children consumed. Subjects/setting Foodservice managers in 398 public schools and 2,314 children (grades 1 to 12) from 287 of these schools participated in the study. Statistical analyses performed Descriptive tabulations report percentages of daily menus that offered and percentages of children that consumed specific food groups and foods at lunch and breakfast. Two-tailed t tests were used to assess differences between school meal program participants and nonparticipants. Results Most school menus offered nonfat or 1% milk, fruit or 100% juice, and vegetables daily. Starchy vegetables were more common than dark green/orange vegetables or legumes. School lunch participants were significantly more likely than nonparticipants to consume milk, fruit, and vegetables, and significantly less likely to consume desserts, snack items, and beverages other than milk or 100% juice. At breakfast, participants were significantly more likely than nonparticipants to consume milk and fruit (mainly 100% juice), and significantly less likely to consume beverages other than milk or 100% juice. Conclusions Consumption of school meals is positively related to children's intakes of key food groups at lunch and breakfast. Offering more fresh fruit, whole grains, and a greater variety of vegetables could lead to additional health benefits.

Rethinking School Feeding: Social Safety Nets, Child Development, and the Education Sector

Abstract: This review highlights three main findings. First, school feeding programs in low-income countries exhibit large variation in cost, with concomitant opportunities for cost containment. Second, as countries get richer, school feeding costs become a much smaller proportion of the investment in education. For example, in Zambia the cost of school feeding is about 50 percent of annual per capita costs for primary education; in Ireland it is only 10 percent. Further analysis is required to define these relationships, but supporting countries to maintain an investment in school feeding through this transition may emerge as a key role for development partners. Third, the main preconditions for the transition to sustainable national programs are mainstreaming school feeding in national policies and plans, especially education sector plans; identifying national sources of financing; and expanding national implementation capacity. Mainstreaming a development policy for school feeding into national education sector plans offers the added advantage of aligning support for school feeding with the processes already established to harmonize development partner support for the education for all-fast track initiative.

Nutritional quality of the diets of US public school children and the role of the school meal programs.

Abstract: Background Good nutrition is essential to healthy childhood. Because the school meal programs—the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program—are so widely available, they are in a unique position to influence the nutritional quality of children's diets. Objective This article assesses the nutritional quality of the diets of US public school children and explores the relationship between children's participation in the school meal programs and the nutritional quality of their diets. Design Data were collected as part of the third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study (SNDA-III), a nationally representative study fielded during school year 2004-2005. Data on children's dietary intakes were collected through in-person 24-hour dietary recalls. Nutritional quality of children's diets was assessed by estimating the prevalence of inadequate and excessive intakes of energy and nutrients. Subjects/setting The analysis is based on a nationally representative sample of 2,314 children in grades 1 through 12 from 287 public schools. Statistical analyses performed Nutrient adequacy and excess were assessed by comparing usual nutrient intake distributions to Dietary Reference Intakes and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 . Propensity score matching was used to examine the relationship between school meal program participation and the prevalence of inadequate and excessive intakes. Results The majority of public school children in the United States had nutritionally adequate diets, but 80% had excessive intakes of saturated fat and 92% had excessive intakes of sodium. School meal program participation was associated with reduced prevalence of nutrient inadequacy but with increased prevalence of excessive sodium intakes. Conclusions School meal programs play an important role in the nutritional adequacy of children's diets. However, the association between program participation and excessive sodium intakes, along with the high prevalence of excessive saturated fat intakes among all students, suggest areas for improvement in the meals these programs provide.