scholarly journals Analyzing the Association between Student Weight Status and School Meal Participation: Evidence from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Sarah Bardin ◽  
Alice Ann Gola
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Weight Status ◽  
Caloric Intake ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
School Level ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
School Meal ◽  
School Breakfast Program ◽  
Using Data

Childhood obesity remains a pressing public health concern. Children consume a substantial amount of their caloric intake while in school, making the passage of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) in 2010 and the subsequent improvements to the school meal standards a key policy change. Using data from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study, this paper seeks to re-examine the association between students’ (N = 1963) weight status and participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) since the implementation of these policy changes to determine whether, and how, this relationship has changed. After controlling for a wide array of student characteristics and school-level fixed effects, findings from the multivariate regression analyses indicate that usual participation in the school meal programs has no clear association with students’ weight status, which contradicts findings from earlier studies conducted prior to the passage of the HHFKA. These findings are discussed in relation to changes in the demographic composition of usual NSLP participants over time.

scholarly journals The Role of District Wellness Policies in Encouraging Student Participation in the School Breakfast Program, United States

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Leider ◽  
Wanting Lin ◽  
Elizabeth Piekarz-Porter ◽  
Lindsey Turner ◽  
Jamie F. Chriqui
Keyword(s):  
School Nutrition ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Wellness Policy ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
School Breakfast Program ◽  
District Policy ◽  
School Breakfast ◽  
Wellness Policies

Eating breakfast is associated with better academic performance and nutrition and lower risk of obesity, but skipping breakfast is common among children and adolescents, and participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s School Breakfast Program (SBP) is low. This study assessed the association between school district wellness policy provisions coded as part of the National Wellness Policy Study and student SBP participation and acceptance of the breakfasts provided using cross-sectional survey data from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study. Separate survey-adjusted multivariable logistic regressions were computed, linking students eating (N = 1575) and liking (N = 726) the school breakfast to corresponding district policy measures, controlling for school and student characteristics. Strong district policy, as opposed to no policy, was associated with significantly higher odds of students eating the school breakfast (odds ratio (OR): 1.86; 95% CI: 1.09, 3.16; p = 0.022), corresponding to an adjusted prevalence of 28.4% versus 19.2%, and liking the school breakfast (OR: 2.14; 95% CI: 1.26, 3.63; p = 0.005), corresponding to an adjusted prevalence of 69.0% versus 53.9%. District policy has the potential to play an important role in encouraging higher levels of SBP participation.

Social Learning Theory, Cigarette Taxes and Adolescent Smoking Behavior

2012 ◽  
Vol 232 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mir M. Ali
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Smoking Behavior ◽  
Adolescent Smoking ◽  
School Level ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Cigarette Taxes ◽  
Family Effects ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Definition Of

SummaryIn this paper we evaluate the effectiveness of cigarette taxes as a mechanism to reduce smoking rates among adolescents. In our model, we categorize individuals by their smoking frequencies and intensities instead of relying on the widely used dichotomous measure of smoking. Using data of a nationally representative sample of adolescents, we use an endogenity corrected model with school-level fixed effects to obtain our estimates. Moving beyond the conventional definition of smoking to a definition that recognizes the complex nature of addiction by categorizing smoking into various stages and also by controlling for peer and family effects together, we learn that adolescents are not necessarily the most responsive to taxes. Influence from peers and family plays a more significant role in influencing adolescent smoking.

scholarly journals Are Nutrition Standards for Beverages in Schools Associated with Healthier Beverage Intakes among Adolescents in the US?

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 75
Author(s):  
Jamie F. Chriqui ◽  
Julien Leider ◽  
Juliana F. W. Cohen ◽  
Marlene Schwartz ◽  
Lindsey Turner
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Middle School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Secondary School Student ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
School Level ◽  
High School Level ◽  
School Students ◽  
Cost Study

Under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Smart Snacks in School standards, beverages sold in schools are restricted to water, flavored or unflavored non-fat milk or unflavored low-fat milk (and milk alternatives), and 100% fruit and vegetable juices; and, at the high school level, diet (≤10 kcal), low-calorie (≤60 kcal), and caffeinated beverages may also be sold. Using data from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study, this study examined whether secondary school student beverage consumption was associated with school-level à la carte and vending machine beverage availability, controlling for district, school, and student characteristics. On average, most beverages sold in middle schools (84.54%) and high schools (74.11%) were Smart Snacks compliant; while 24.06 percent of middle school students and 14.64 percent of high school students reported consuming non-compliant beverages, including non-compliant milk, fruit drinks, and sports or energy drinks. School beverage availability was not related to consumption among middle school students; however, high school students were less likely to consume non-compliant beverages when enrolled in schools that sold a higher proportion of compliant beverages (Range: OR = 0.97–0.98, 95% CI = 0.95, 1.00). Findings from this study build upon prior research illustrating the role that schools can play in influencing student dietary intake.

scholarly journals Associations among Food Security, School Meal Participation, and Students’ Diet Quality in the First School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 307
Author(s):  
Sarah Forrestal ◽  
Elizabeth Potamites ◽  
Joanne Guthrie ◽  
Nora Paxton
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Low Income ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Dietary Intakes ◽  
School Meals ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
School Meal ◽  
Chi Squared

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 updated the nutrition standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs (NSLP and SBP) and expanded universal free meals’ availability in low-income schools. Past studies have shown that school meals are an important resource for children in food-insecure households. This analysis used data from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study to classify students as food insecure (FI), marginally secure (MS), or food secure (FS). Diet quality from school and nonschool foods that students consumed was assessed using Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2010 scores. Chi-squared and two-tailed t-tests were conducted to compare school meal participation, students’ energy intakes, and diet quality across food security groups. FI and MS students were significantly more likely to participate in NSLP than FS students (79%, 71%, and 49%, respectively). SBP participation followed a similar pattern but was lower (38% FI, 33% MS, and 16% FS). Compared to FS students, FI and MS students more likely attended schools offering SBP, universal free meals, or afterschool snacks and suppers. School meals contributed significantly more energy to FI and MS students’ diets than to FS students (22%, 20%, and 13%, respectively). All groups’ dietary intakes from school foods were of higher quality than non-school foods. These findings highlight the role of school meals in meeting the energy and diet quality needs of FI and MS students.

scholarly journals Universal Free Meals Associated with Lower Meal Costs While Maintaining Nutritional Quality

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael W. Long ◽  
Keith Marple ◽  
Tatiana Andreyeva
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
School Level ◽  
Policy Impact ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
Level Data

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 allows the provision of universal free meals (UFMs) in high-poverty school areas. Participation in UFM programs, including through CEP, could reduce meal costs due to economies of scale and a lower administrative burden. We analyzed the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study (SNMCS) data from 508 UFM-eligible schools (103 UFMs) to evaluate whether meal costs varied by UFM status. We used school-level data to address the non-random selection to UFMs with inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). We estimated a generalized linear model with a log link and gamma distribution to predict meal costs by UFM status and school size. Full costs among medium and large schools were marginally lower in UFM schools for lunch (−$0.673; 95% CI: −1.395, 0.0499; p = 0.068) and significantly lower for breakfast (−$0.575; 95% CI: −1.077, −0.074; p = 0.025). UFM was not associated with meal costs among smaller schools. Healthy Eating Index scores did not vary significantly by UFMs, suggesting that lower costs could be achieved without an adverse effect on nutritional quality. This analysis is limited by the lack of identified student percentage (ISP) data needed to definitively identify CEP eligibility, although results were robust to sensitivity analyses addressing the lack of ISP data. The potential policy impact of these findings emphasizes the need for future studies that assess ISP and cost with more recent data and longitudinal designs.

scholarly journals Impact of the community eligibility provision program on school meal participation in Texas

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Kate R Schneider ◽  
Jennifer Oslund ◽  
Tiffany Liu
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
School Level ◽  
School Meal ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Texas Education ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Education Authority ◽  
K 12 ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objective: To estimate the impact of opting into the community eligibility provision (CEP) on school meal participation among students in Texas. Design: A quasi-experimental design using a two-way fixed effects panel difference-in-difference model and the variation in adoption timing to estimate the impact of opting into CEP on student breakfast and lunch participation in eligible, ever-adopting schools. Setting: All public and charter K-12 schools in Texas participating in national school meals (breakfast and/or lunch) from 2013 to 2019 who are eligible for the CEP program in at least 1 year and choose to opt into the program in at least 1 year (n 2797 unique schools and 16 103 school-years). Participants: School-level administrative data from the Texas Department of Agriculture on meal counts, enrollment and summary characteristics of students merged with district-level educational and socio-demographic data from the Texas Education Authority. Results: We find opting into CEP increased school breakfast participation by 4·59 percentage points (P < 0·001) and lunch participation by 4·32 percentage points (P < 0·001), on average. The effect is slightly larger (4·64 and 4·61, respectively) and still statistically significant when excluding summer months. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that opting into CEP modestly increases school meal participation in Texas, with a similar impact on breakfast and lunch.

scholarly journals State laws matter when it comes to school provisions for structured PE and daily PE participation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Piekarz-Porter ◽  
Wanting Lin ◽  
Julien Leider ◽  
Lindsey Turner ◽  
Frank Perna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Child Poverty ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Poverty Rate ◽  
School Level ◽  
School Students ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
State Laws ◽  
Require Time ◽  
School Day

Abstract Abstract The physical and mental benefits children receive from physical activity have been well documented, and physical education is a key way to ensure that physical activity opportunities are available during the school day. This study evaluates whether state PE laws are associated with school-level practices of requiring structured PE classes and whether students take PE classes daily. State laws were obtained as part of the National Cancer Institute’s Classification of Laws Associated with School Students (CLASS) and were compiled for all 50 states and District of Columbia using Boolean keyword searches in LexisAdvance and WestlawNext. PE time requirements and state daily PE requirements in the laws were subsequently linked to school-required structured PE classes and daily PE in the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study (SNMCS) Principal Survey. Logistic regression analyses were conducted while controlling for grade level, district child poverty rate, district race/ethnicity, school urbanicity, and school size. The state daily PE analysis also controlled for region. Schools located in a state that required at least 90 min of PE per week at the elementary level or 150 min of PE per week at the middle or high school levels had almost seven times higher odds of requiring structured PE. Schools located in a state that required daily participation of PE had almost five times higher odds of at least some students taking PE daily. State policymakers can utilize these findings to promote laws that require time for PE every week, daily if possible.

scholarly journals Association between Nutrition Policies and Student Body Mass Index

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Marlene B. Schwartz ◽  
Julien Leider ◽  
Juliana F. W. Cohen ◽  
Lindsey Turner ◽  
Jamie F. Chriqui
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Childhood Obesity ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
School Level ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
Sugary Drinks ◽  
Nutrition Policies ◽  
Competitive Foods

In response to concerns about childhood obesity, many US states have implemented policies to limit the sale of unhealthy foods and beverages (e.g., snacks, desserts, and sugary drinks) sold in competition with school meal programs (i.e., competitive foods) in order to improve the nutritional environment of schools and support student health. This study measured state-level competitive food and beverage policies that require foods and beverages sold in à la carte lines, vending machines, and school stores to meet strong nutrition standards and tested the hypothesis that students living in states with stronger laws would have lower body mass index (BMI)-for-age percentiles. BMI data from a national sample of 1625 students attending 284 schools from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study were linked to state laws coded as part of the National Wellness Policy Study. A survey-adjusted linear regression model accounting for student and school-level characteristics showed that stronger state nutrition policies were associated with lower student BMI scores (coefficient: −0.06, 95% CI: −0.12, −0.00). Additional models indicated that stronger state policies were significantly associated with fewer unhealthy foods and beverages available in schools. These findings suggest that strong regulations on competitive foods and beverages may lead to improvements in the nutritional quality of the school environment and student BMI. Thus, current federal standards regulating snacks in US schools (i.e., Smart Snacks) are an important element of a comprehensive strategy to improve the school nutrition environment and reduce rates of childhood obesity.

Stronger State School Nutrition Laws Are Associated With Healthier Eating Behaviors and Optimal Weight Status in US Adolescents

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 857-866
Author(s):  
Namrata Sanjeevi ◽  
Leah M. Lipsky ◽  
Tonja R. Nansel ◽  
Denise Haynie ◽  
Aiyi Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Representative Sample ◽  
Weight Status ◽  
Eating Behaviors ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Farm To School ◽  
State Laws ◽  
Optimal Weight ◽  
School Meal ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
School Laws

Purpose: To investigate relationships of farm-to-school, school meal, and competitive food state laws with eating behaviors and weight status and to examine interaction between different types of state laws. Design: Observational cohort study. Settings: US adolescents. Participants: The NEXT study is a nationally representative sample of adolescents assessed annually for 7 years. Data (N = 2751) from students attending public schools from the first (W1) and third (W3) assessment waves (2010 and 2012), occurring during grades 10 and 12, respectively, of the NEXT study were included. Measures: Eating behaviors and weight status of adolescents were linked with Classification of Laws Associated with School Students scoring for state laws. Analysis: Regression analyses examined associations of laws with intake and weight status, accounting for complex survey design and school-level clustering. Results: Adolescents in states with strong farm-to-school laws had greater W1 whole fruit, lower soda, and snack intakes versus those in states with no laws. Strong school meal laws were associated with lower W1 soda intake. Adolescents in states with strong competitive food laws had lower soda intake and overweight/obesity odds than those in states with no laws in W3. Strong farm-to-school laws were inversely associated with W3 overweight/obesity odds only in states with strong competitive food laws. Conclusions: Stronger laws governing school nutrition were related to healthier eating behaviors and optimal weight status in this nationally representative sample of adolescents. Further, farm-to-school laws may be more effective in reducing obesity when combined with strong competitive food legislation.

scholarly journals Meal Quality of Entrées That Can Be Sold as Competitive Foods in Schools and Potential Impact of the Proposed USDA Rollbacks

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 3003
Author(s):  
Juliana F.W. Cohen ◽  
Marlene B. Schwartz ◽  
Julien Leider ◽  
Lindsey Turner ◽  
Jamie F. Chriqui
Keyword(s):  
Saturated Fat ◽  
National Sample ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
School Level ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
School Lunches ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
Food Standards ◽  
Competitive Foods

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act strengthened competitive food standards (i.e., Smart Snacks), but an exemption allows reimbursable meal entrées that do not meet Smart Snack standards to be sold as “competitive entrées” on the same day they are served in the reimbursable meal, and the following day. Proposed rollbacks would enable these competitive entrées to continue to be sold on a third day, increasing the availability of competitive foods exempt from Smart Snacks standards. This study compared the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores of potential competitive entrées alone versus full reimbursable school lunches, and examined the nutritional characteristics of potential competitive entrées. Data were from a national sample of 1108 schools from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study. Linear regression models, accounting for school-level and state and district policy characteristics, found that HEI scores of competitive entrées were an average of 30 points lower than HEI scores of reimbursable lunches, with greater differences in small and rural schools. Less than 1% of common potential competitive entrees met Smart Snack standards, primarily due to higher sodium and saturated fat levels. The proposed rollbacks are estimated to potentially add approximately 662 mg of sodium and 3 g of saturated fat over three days (1103 mg sodium and 5 g saturated fat over a week) on average relative to Smart Snacks limits. Instead of increasing opportunities to sell competitive entrées, their sales should be further limited.

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