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

ABSTRACT: 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 scor

SUBMITTER: Gearan EC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7765856 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature