Effectiveness of the National School Lunch Program on Fruits and Vegetables Intake Among High School Students

Abstract Background Japan has experienced a low prevalence of childhood obesity. The Japanese nationwide school lunch program is suggested to have helped this phenomenon, but it has not been proven. Methods From official statistics, we combined annual data for 2006–15 about the prefecture-level school lunch coverage rate for public junior high school students and the prefecture-level nutritional indicators calculated by randomly selected age–sex groups of 13–15-year olds: the percentage of overweight, obese or underweight children, who are 20% heavier, 30% heavier or 20% lighter than the standard weight by sex, age and height; and mean body weight (kg) or height (cm). We estimated the impact of the school lunch coverage rate on the nutritional indicators in subsequent years, adjusting for the lagged dependent variable and dummies for prefecture, age and year. Results A 10 percentage point increase in the prefecture-level school lunch coverage rate significantly decreased the percentage of overweight (0.37%, 95% CI: 0.18–0.56) and obesity (0.23%, 0.10–0.37) in subsequent years among boys, but not among girls. No significant effect on the percentage of underweight or mean body weight/height was observed for either sex. Conclusions Appropriate nutritional intake through school lunch may be effective to reduce childhood obesity.

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Agricultural High School Students' Acquisition of Knowledge and Skills regarding a Nutritionally Balanced Diet through Assisting in a School Lunch Program for Elementary and Middle School Pupils

Health Services Insights ◽

10.4137/hsi.s7913 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. HSI.S7913

Author(s):

Midori Ishikawa ◽

Nozomi Kubota ◽

Keita Kudo ◽

Martin Meadows ◽

Atsuko Umezawa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Middle School ◽

High School Students ◽

School Lunch ◽

School Students ◽

Knowledge And Skills ◽

School Lunch Program ◽

Food Knowledge ◽

Lunch Program ◽

Elementary And Middle School

The purpose of this research was to study whether agricultural high school students' attitudes towards social support for consumers would improve with their involvement in a school lunch program for elementary and middle school pupils. A comparison of the pre- and post-intervention data revealed the food knowledge, production skills, and attitudes towards food production for children among students at the experimental and control schools. A pilot trial study was conducted that involved growing tomatoes and distributing a newsletter on school lunches to primary and middle school children. The study was implemented from April to October every year from 2006 to 2009. A total of 92 agricultural high school students and 20 controlled agricultural students participated during these four years. The evaluation survey comprised questions about food nutrition, food production, and access to health and nutritional support services. The students who worked in assisting the school lunch program exhibited increased knowledge and skills related to producing a newsletter on produce for consumers as compared to the control student group. The students' food knowledge and production skills showed a significant positive correlation with their attitudes towards assisting in the school lunch program. Therefore, the acquisition of knowledge and skills regarding the preparation of a newsletter on produce by agricultural high school students increased significantly through the experience of supporting a school lunch program.

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Sensory Evaluation of Plant-Based Protein Entrees for the National School Lunch Program

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzab044_010 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 579-579

Author(s):

Ginnefer Cox ◽

Allie Lindke ◽

Debra Morris ◽

Travis Smith ◽

Caree Cotwright

Keyword(s):

School District ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Sensory Evaluation ◽

School Lunch ◽

National School Lunch Program ◽

School Students ◽

Jackson County ◽

School Lunch Program ◽

National School ◽

Lunch Program

Abstract Objectives To assess the acceptability of two newly developed plant-based protein entrees to be served in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) among middle school students in the state of Georgia. Methods Two newly developed plant-based entrees (sweet potato chili fries, lentil-based sloppy joes) were introduced at lunch and sensory evaluation was conducted using a nine-point hedonic scale were used to evaluate overall liking (OL) and specific sensory attributes (appearance, flavor, texture) of lunch entrees immediately following lunch. Recipe formulations were designed to meet NSLP standards, to address the recent popularity of plant-based meat alternatives, and to incorporate the flavor preferences of student populations. Sensory evaluation of both plant-based entrees and all other entrees sold at lunch or brought from home were assessed. Results A total of 964 sensory evaluations were collected from middle school students in grades 6–8 in the Jackson County School District in Jefferson, Georgia. The plant-based entrees had a mean OL = 2.43, appearance = 3.00, texture = 3.58, flavor = 2.63. The regular hotline entrees had a mean OL = 5.66, appearance = 5.21, texture = 5.16, flavor = 5.75. A la carte entrees had a mean OL = 6.07, appearance = 5.65, texture = 5.64, flavor = 5.95. Entrees brought from home had a mean OL = 8.14, appearance = 7.82, texture = 7.84, flavor = 8.19. Regressions and t-tests were used to determine significant differences in waste using the statistical software Stata. Conclusions Little research has been conducted utilizing sensory evaluation to determine student liking of plant-based entrees. Plant-based entrees were liked least out of all entrees offered at school or brought from home. Sensory evaluation may be utilized to develop healthy school meals, ensure recipes are responsive to the taste preferences of children and profitable on the school lunch menu. Funding Sources Jackson County School District, Georgia Department of Education.

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Evaluation of the Factors Influencing Participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) for Latino Students During Middle School and High School Years

Californian Journal of Health Promotion ◽

10.32398/cjhp.v16i2.2087 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 11-21 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

David Edens ◽

Adriana Lopez ◽

Lisa Kessler ◽

Bonny Burns-Whitmore

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Latino Students ◽

School Lunch ◽

National School Lunch Program ◽

Stepwise Multiple Regression ◽

Future Research ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

School Lunch Program ◽

National School ◽

Lunch Program

Background and Purpose: In California, approximately 3.2 million students participated in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP in 2015). It is estimated that Latino students received over 760,000 meals through the NSLP program. This study evaluates factors that influence middle and high school Latino students’ participation in the (NSLP). Methods: Study participants were a convenience sample of students (n = 232) utilizing a 22-question survey tool. The independent variables were grade level, gender, ethnicity, perceived social stigma, competitive foods served on and off campus, peer influences and parental influences. The dependent variable was participation in the NSLP. T-test, ANOVA, and Stepwise multiple regression were used to answer the research questions. Results: Latino students were not significantly different from non-Latino students in their participation rates in the NSLP. There were several significant predictors of NSLP participation for Latino students. Meal eligibility was the only significant predictor of participation in the NSLP for Latino students who are low-participators. Conclusions: Latino students are different from non-Latino students in the factors that influence their participation in the NSLP. Future research is needed to clarify the factors impacting Latino NSLP participation.

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