School Meal Participation During COVID-19

Abstract Objectives: To explore best practices and challenges in providing school meals during COVID-19 in a low-income, predominantly Latino, urban-rural region. Design: Semi structured interviews with school district stakeholders and focus groups with parents were conducted to explore school meal provision during COVID-19 from June to August 2020. Data was coded and themes were identified to guide analysis. Community organizations were involved in all aspects of study design, recruitment, data collection, and analysis. Setting: Six school districts in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Participants: School district stakeholders (n=11) included food service directors, school superintendents, and community partners (e.g., funders, food co-operative). Focus groups (n=6) were comprised of parents (n=29) of children participating in school meal programs. Results: COVID-19-related challenges for districts included developing safe meal distribution systems, boosting low participation, covering COVID-19-related costs, and staying informed of policy changes. Barriers for families included transportation difficulties, safety concerns, and a lack of fresh foods. Innovative strategies to address obstacles included pandemic-EBT, bus-stop delivery, community pick-up locations, batched meals, and leveraging partner resources. Conclusions: A focus on fresher, more appealing meals and greater communication between school officials and parents could boost participation. Districts that leveraged external partnerships were better equipped to provide meals during pandemic conditions. In addition, policies increasing access to fresh foods and capitalizing on USDA waivers could boost school meal participation. Finally, partnering with community organizations and acting upon parent feedback could improve school meal systems, and in combination with pandemic-EBT, address childhood food insecurity.

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Effect of African leafy vegetables on the micronutrient status of mildly deficient farm-school children in South Africa: a randomized controlled study

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980015002037 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 19 (5) ◽

pp. 935-945 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Marinka van der Hoeven ◽

Mieke Faber ◽

Jennifer Osei ◽

Annamarie Kruger ◽

Cornelius M Smuts

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Vitamin A ◽

Serum Ferritin ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Leafy Vegetables ◽

Serum Retinol ◽

School Meal ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Serum Zn

AbstractObjectiveA randomized controlled trial was conducted to assess the effect of African leafy vegetable (ALV) consumption on Fe, Zn and vitamin A status in children.DesignChildren were randomly allocated to receive either a 300 g cooked ALV dish and school meal starch (n86) or the normal school meal (n81) five times per week for three months. ALV in the dish consisted mainly ofAmaranthus cruentus(at least 80 %) and the remainder ofCleome gynandra,Cucurbita maximaorVigna unguiculata. Nutrient content and consumer acceptance of the ALV dish were also determined.SettingNorth West Province, South Africa.SubjectsGrade R to grade 4 children (6–12 years old) of two farm schools.ResultsThe ALV dish contributed 11·6–15·8 mg Fe and 1·4–3·7 mg Zn. At baseline, prevalence of deficiencies in the intervention group was 16·0 %, 16·3 %, 7·0 % and 75·6 %, respectively, for anaemia (Hb<11·5 g/dl), Fe (serum ferritin<15 µg/l), vitamin A (serum retinol<20 μg/dl) and Zn (serum Zn<65 μg/dl); and in the control group 10·5 %, 18·5 %, 2·5 % and 75·3 %, respectively. No significant estimated intervention effect was found.ConclusionsThis randomized controlled trial showed that ALV were unable to improve serum retinol, serum ferritin or Hb if there are only mild deficiencies present. Furthermore, despite the low Zn status in the study population, ALV consumption did not improve serum Zn concentrations either.

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