Dataset Information

Awareness of and Participation in School Food Programs in Youth from Six Countries.

ABSTRACT:

Background

School-based meal programs can promote healthy dietary intake in youth. However, limited data exist regarding the impact of income-targeted school meal programs across countries, particularly among food-insecure youth.

Objectives

We examined self-reported awareness of and participation in free school meal programs, and associations with dietary intake in youth from 6 countries with differing national school meal policies.

Methods

Data were collected through the 2019 International Food Policy Study Youth Survey, a cross-sectional survey of 10,565 youth aged 10-17 y from Australia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Regression models examined: 1) country differences in awareness of and participation in breakfast and lunch programs; and 2) associations between lunch program participation and intake of fruit and vegetables, and "less healthy" foods during the previous school lunch day.

Results

Awareness of and participation in free breakfast and lunch programs varied across countries. Approximately half of USA and Chilean students participated in school lunch programs-the countries with the most comprehensive national policies-compared with one-fifth of students in the United Kingdom, and ∼5% in Australia, Canada, and Mexico (P < 0.001 for all contrasts). In the United States and Chile, more than two-thirds of youth with the highest level of food insecurity participated in lunch programs, compared with 45% in the United Kingdom, 27% in Canada, and ≤20% in Australia and Mexico. In all countries, youth reporting school lunch program participation were more likely to report fruit and vegetable intake during their previous school lunch (P < 0.001), and higher intake of "less healthy" food in all countries except the United States and Chile.

Conclusions

More comprehensive national policies were associated with greater participation in school meal programs, particularly among youth at greatest risk of food insecurity, as well as healthier dietary intake from school lunches.

SUBMITTER: Hock K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9188863 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Awareness of and Participation in School Food Programs in Youth from Six Countries.

Hock Karen K Barquera Simón S Corvalán Camila C Goodman Samantha S Sacks Gary G Vanderlee Lana L White Christine M CM White Martin M Hammond David D

The Journal of nutrition 20220601 Suppl 1

<h4>Background</h4>School-based meal programs can promote healthy dietary intake in youth. However, limited data exist regarding the impact of income-targeted school meal programs across countries, particularly among food-insecure youth.<h4>Objectives</h4>We examined self-reported awareness of and participation in free school meal programs, and associations with dietary intake in youth from 6 countries with differing national school meal policies.<h4>Methods</h4>Data were collected through the 2 ...[more]

PMID: 35274730

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundNutrition facts tables (NFTs) on pre-packaged foods are widely used but poorly understood by consumers. Several countries have implemented front-of-package labels (FOPLs) that provide simpler, easier to use nutrition information. In October 2020, Mexico revised its FOPL regulations to replace industry-based Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) FOPLs with 'Warning' FOPLs, which display stop signs on foods high in nutrients of concern, such as sugar and sodium. This study examined self-reported awareness, use, and understanding of NFTs and FOPLs among young people in six countries with different FOPLs, with an additional focus on changes before and after implementation of Mexico's FOPL warning policy.MethodsA 'natural experiment' was conducted using 'pre-post' national surveys in Mexico and five separate comparison countries: countries with no FOPL policy (Canada and the US), countries with voluntary FOPL policies (Traffic Lights in the UK and Health Star Ratings in Australia), and one country (Chile) with mandatory FOPL 'warnings' (like Mexico). Population-based surveys were conducted with 10 to 17-year-olds in 2019 (n = 10,823) and in 2020 (n = 11,713). Logistic regressions examined within- and between-countries changes in self-reported awareness, use, and understanding of NFTs and FOPLs.ResultsAcross countries, half to three quarters of respondents reported seeing NFTs 'often' or 'all the time', approximately one quarter reported using NFTs when deciding what to eat or buy, and one third reported NFTs were 'easy to understand', with few changes between 2019 and 2020. In 2020, awareness, use and self-reported understanding of the Warning FOPLs in Mexico were higher than for NFTs in all countries, and compared with GDA FOPLs in Mexico (p < .001). Mandated Warning FOPLs in Mexico and Chile had substantially higher levels of awareness, use, and understanding than the voluntary Traffic Lights in the UK and Health Star Ratings in Australia (p < .001 for all).ConclusionsMandated easy-to-understand FOPLs are associated with substantially greater levels of self-reported awareness, use and understanding at the population-level compared to NFT and GDA-based labeling systems.

Dataset Information

Awareness of and Participation in School Food Programs in Youth from Six Countries.

Background

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Awareness of and Participation in School Food Programs in Youth from Six Countries.

Similar Datasets

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