A Qualitative Study on Factors that Affect School Lunch Participation: Perspectives of School Food Service Managers and Cooks

Abstract Objectives To develop and validate a web-based self-diagnostic questionnaire on school food service offer aimed at food service managers (FSMs) by: i) identifying relevant indicators of school food offer, developing a questionnaire and validating the concept using an expert panel, ii) validating the questions by comparing the food service manager’s responses with observations by dietitians, and iii) undergoing a qualitative evaluation of the tool through direct observation and short interviews. Design Mixed methods. Setting Quebec, Canada. Participants Nine experts validated the theoretical constructs and indicators on which the questionnaire was based. Inter-rater reliability tests were conducted with 39 food service managers, who then participated in interviews about platform functionality satisfaction. Twenty school stakeholders participated in the survey pertaining to their use of the personalised report. Results The questionnaire focused on the main school food service’s lunchtime offer and comprised 26 questions. The overall strength of agreement was good, and all questions’ strengths of agreement were fair to excellent except for one question. Qualitative data reached saturation and showed that navigation through the questionnaire was fluid. Improvements were suggested to increase user-friendliness and simplicity of both the platform and questionnaire. Results from the survey showed that all respondents were either satisfied or very satisfied with their personalised report. Conclusions We successfully developed and validated a web-based self-diagnostic questionnaire. The final version facilitates knowledge mobilisation with school stakeholders and offers a new opportunity for the assessment and surveillance of school food offer.

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Middle School Students’ Perceptions of the Lunchroom: Implications for Future Interventions

The Journal of School Nursing ◽

10.1177/1059840520928504 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 105984052092850

Author(s):

Natoshia Askelson ◽

Grace Ryan ◽

Patrick Brady ◽

Cristian L. Meier ◽

Patti Delger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Online Survey ◽

Food Service ◽

School Lunch ◽

School Students ◽

School Food ◽

School Food Service ◽

Service Staff ◽

School Lunch Programs

The National School Lunch Program provides nutritious and inexpensive lunches, but low participation and food waste are challenges in many schools. Interventions aim to improve participation in the program, but little is known about how students’ perceptions affect their participation. This study explored how middle school students in a rural state perceive school food service staff, food served, and lunchroom atmosphere. An online survey was administered to middle school students at six schools participating in a larger lunchroom intervention. Mean perception scores were calculated for all measures. Multilevel logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between perceptions and consumption. Overall perceptions of staff, food, and atmosphere were positive, and students classified as school lunch eaters had more positive perceptions in all three areas than noneaters. Interventions to increase participation in school lunch programs and promote consumption of healthy food items should address multiple factors that contribute to school lunch participation.

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Tracing Temperature Patterns of Cut Leafy Greens during Service in North Carolina School Food Service

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/0362-028x.jfp-14-121 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 77 (9) ◽

pp. 1495-1500 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

ELLEN M. THOMAS ◽

BENJAMIN CHAPMAN ◽

LEE-ANN JAYKUS ◽

TREVOR PHISTER

Keyword(s):

North Carolina ◽

Food Service ◽

School Lunch ◽

School Food ◽

Leafy Greens ◽

School Food Service ◽

The North ◽

North Carolina School ◽

School Lunch Programs ◽

Lunch Program

Contaminated fresh produce has been increasingly identified as a cause of foodborne illnesses. Because of concerns about pathogen growth on these food items at retail, the 2009 U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Code established that cut leafy greens (lettuce, spinach, spring mix, cabbage, arugula, and kale) must have time and temperature controls for safety and hence should be kept at refrigerated temperatures (5°C or lower). The purpose of this study was to determine the temperature profiles of cut leafy greens in single-serving clamshell containers provided as part of the North Carolina School Lunch Program and to compare the two policies that North Carolina has in place to control the temperature of these products (the 3-day rule and time in lieu of temperature). Temperatures were recorded with data loggers in 24 schools during a 3-day period. In all cases, substantial temperature variability was found for these products, including temperatures above 5°C for at least 1 h on each of the 3 days. In some cases, temperatures reached above 5°C for more than 3 h throughout the serving time. The results demonstrate the importance of developing a protocol for continuous temperature monitoring of leafy greens served in school lunch programs.

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A Qualitative Study of School Food Service Directors on the Impact of the Texas School Nutrition Policy

Journal of the American Dietetic Association ◽

10.1016/j.jada.2007.05.191 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 107 (8) ◽

pp. A75 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

A.R. Besgrove ◽

R.S. Pobocik ◽

S. Roberts ◽

J.R. Roe

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Food Service ◽

Nutrition Policy ◽

School Nutrition ◽

School Food ◽

School Food Service ◽

The Impact

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How the Catch Eat Smart Program Helps Implement the USDA Regulations in School Cafeterias

Health Education & Behavior ◽

10.1177/1090198103253517 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 434-446 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Deanna M. Hoelscher ◽

Paul Mitchell ◽

Johanna Dwyer ◽

John Elder ◽

Ann Clesi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Health ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Guideline Implementation ◽

Food Service ◽

School Lunch ◽

School Food ◽

Main Trial ◽

School Food Service ◽

Lunch Program ◽

School Cafeterias

This article describes the implementation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National School Lunch Program (NSLP) standards in school lunch menus in 56 intervention and 20 control schools from the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) 5 years after the main trial, compared with 12 schools previously unexposed to CATCH. School food service personnel completed questionnaires to assess CATCH guideline implementation, demographic data, behavioral constructs, training, program material use, and par ticipation in competing programs. Five days of menus and recipes were collected from school cafeteria staff, averaged, and compared to USDA School Meal Initiative (SMI) standards. Significant differences between intervention and unexposed schools were found for training and knowledge of CATCH and in mean percentage energy from fat and carbohydrates. Intervention schools most closely met USDA SMI recommendations for fat. Thus, the CATCH Eat Smart Program assisted school cafeterias in meeting USDA guidelines 5 years postimplementation.

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