Disparities in the Healthfulness of School Food Environments and the Nutritional Quality of School Lunches

Abstract

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA), a public law in the United States passed in 2010, sought to improve the healthfulness of the school food environment by requiring updated nutrition standards for school meals and competitive foods. Studies conducted since the passage of the HHFKA indicate improvements in the food environment overall, but few studies have examined whether these improvements varied by the socioeconomic and racial/ethnic composition of students in schools. To better understand the extent of disparities in the school food environment after HHFKA, this paper examined differences in the healthfulness of school food environments and the nutritional quality of school lunches by the school poverty level and racial/ethnic composition of students using data from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study. Results from chi-square analyses showed lower proportions of high poverty, majority black, and majority Hispanic schools had access to competitive foods, while higher proportions of these schools had a school wellness policy in addition to a district wellness policy. The overall nutritional quality of school lunches, as measured by total Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2010 scores, did not vary significantly across school types, although some HEI component scores did. From these findings, we concluded that there were disparities in the school food environment based on the socioeconomic and racial/ethnic composition of students in schools, but no significant disparities in the overall nutritional quality of school lunches were found.

Added Sugars in School Meals and the Diets of School-Age Children

“…While the problem is widespread, results showed that breakfasts prepared in low poverty, mid-low poverty, and majority White schools were more likely to exceed the DGA limit for added sugars than other types of schools. This pattern is consistent with another analysis of SNMCS data which documented variation in the healthfulness of school food environments by poverty level and racial ethnic composition [ 44 ]. Levels of added sugars in school lunches are of particular concern for elementary schools.…”

Ecological study of the association between socioeconomic inequality and food deserts and swamps around schools in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…Using national data from public schools in the US, another study shows that students in higher poverty-level schools and those with majority Black and majority Hispanic students had lower access to unhealthy food outlets than students in higher income, majority White, and diverse schools. The results further suggest that high poverty and black and hispanic majority schools tend to be exposed to healthier school food environments than other types of school, even though nutritional quality of meals offered did not significantly differ between groups [ 32 ]. Although we do not directly assess racial inequalities in our study, in Rio de Janeiro (and in Brazil) the most deprived areas are also those with higher proportions of Black residents.…”

“Competitive” food and beverage policies and weight status: A systematic review of the evidence among sociodemographic subgroups

“…This synthesis of the evidence is especially relevant in the context of the nationwide Smart Snacks policies and has the potential to inform future nutrition policy decisions at the local, state, and national levels, including HHFKA. This is critically important because prior research has shown racial/ethnic and income differences in the availability of CF&B in schools and child‐level consumption of CF&B 20–26 . Evidence also suggests the associations between CF&B policies, children's diet, and obesity may vary by race/ethnicity, gender, grade, or socioeconomic factors 23,27–30 .…”