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 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.

scholarly journals Differences in Diet Quality between School Lunch Participants and Nonparticipants in the United States by Income and Race

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3891
Author(s):  
Elizabeth C. Gearan ◽  
Kelley Monzella ◽  
Leah Jennings ◽  
Mary Kay Fox
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
School Lunch ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
Hispanic White

Prior research has shown that participation in the United States’ National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is associated with consuming higher-quality lunches and diets overall, but little is known about differences by income and race/ethnicity. This analysis used 24 h dietary recall data from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study to examine how NSLP participation affects the diet quality of students in different income and racial/ethnic subgroups. Diet quality at lunch and over 24 h was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2010, where higher scores indicate higher-quality intakes. HEI-2010 scores for NSLP participants and nonparticipants in each subgroup were estimated, and two-tailed t-tests were conducted to determine whether participant–nonparticipant differences in scores within each subgroup were statistically significant. NSLP participants’ lunches received significantly higher total HEI-2010 scores than those of nonparticipants for lower-income, higher-income, non-Hispanic White, and non-Hispanic Black students, suggesting that participating in the NSLP helps most students consume healthier lunches. These significantly higher total scores for participants’ lunch intakes persisted over 24 h for higher-income students and non-Hispanic White students but not for lower-income students or students of other races/ethnicities. For NSLP participants in all subgroups, the nutritional quality of their 24 h intakes was much lower than at lunch, suggesting that the positive influence of the NSLP on their overall diet quality was negatively influenced by foods consumed the rest of the day (outside of lunch).

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 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 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.

scholarly journals Can Monitoring Make It Happen? An Assessment of How Reporting, Monitoring, and Evaluation Can Support Local Wellness Policy Implementation in US Schools

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
Lindsey Turner ◽  
Yuka Asada ◽  
Julien Leider ◽  
Elizabeth Piekarz-Porter ◽  
Marlene Schwartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Child Nutrition ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Wellness Policy ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
Child Nutrition Programs ◽  
Local Wellness Policy ◽  
Nationally Representative

US school districts participating in federal child nutrition programs are required to develop a local wellness policy (LWP). Each district is allowed flexibility in policy development, including the approaches used for policy reporting, monitoring, and evaluation (RME). The aim of this convergent mixed-methods study was to quantitatively examine RME provisions in policies among a nationally representative sample of districts in the 2014–2015 school year in order to examine whether policies were associated with RME practices in those districts, and to qualitatively examine perceived challenges to RME practices. Data were compiled through the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study and the National Wellness Policy Study. In multivariable regression models accounting for demographics, survey respondents were significantly more likely to report that their district had informed the public about LWP content and implementation, if there was a relevant policy provision in place. Having a strong policy (as compared to no policy) requiring evaluation was associated with reports that the district had indeed evaluated implementation. Having definitive/required provisions in policies was significantly associated with actual use of RME practices. RME activities are an important part of policy implementation, and these results show that policy provisions addressing RME activities must be written with strong language to require compliance. In interviews with 39 superintendents, many reported that RME activities are challenging, including difficulty determining how to monitor and show impact of their district’s wellness initiatives. Furthermore, the qualitative results highlighted the need for vetted tools that are freely available, widely used, and feasible for districts to use in assessing their progress toward meeting the goals in their LWPs.

scholarly journals Primary schools and the amplification of social differences in child mental health: a population-based cohort study

2017 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Marryat ◽  
Lucy Thompson ◽  
Helen Minnis ◽  
Philip Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Population Based ◽  
School Level ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Early Primary ◽  
Additional Support

BackgroundThis paper examines socioeconomic inequalities in mental health at school entry and explores changes in these inequalities over the first 3 years of school.MethodsThe study utilises routinely collected mental health data from education records and demographic data at ages 4 and 7 years, along with administrative school-level data. The study was set in preschool establishments and schools in Glasgow City, Scotland. Data were available on 4011 children (59.4%)at age 4 years, and 3166 of these children were followed at age 7 years (46.9% of the population). The main outcome measure was the teacher-rated Goodman’s Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (4–16 version) at age 7 years, which measures social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.ResultsChildren living in the most deprived area had higher levels of mental health difficulties at age 4 years, compared with their most affluent counterparts (7.3%vs4.1% with abnormal range scores). There was a more than threefold widening of this disparity over time, so that by the age of 7 years, children from the most deprived area quintile had rates of difficulties 3.5 times higher than their more affluent peers. Children’s demographic backgrounds strongly predicted their age 7 scores, although schools appeared to make a significant contribution to mental health trajectories.ConclusionsAdditional support to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds at preschool and in early primary school may help narrow inequalities. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds started school with a higher prevalence of mental health difficulties, compared with their more advantaged peers, and this disparity widened markedly over the first 3 years of school.

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