Examining school-day dietary intakes among Canadian children

Abstract

Understanding how dietary intakes vary over the course of the school day can help inform targeted school-based interventions, but little is known about the distribution or determinants of school-day dietary intakes in Canada. This study examined differences between school-hour and non-school-hour dietary intakes and assessed demographic and socioeconomic correlates of school-hour diet quality among Canadian children. Nationally representative data from the Canadian Community Health Survey were analyzed using 24-h dietary recalls falling on school days in 2004 (n = 4827). Differences in nutrient and food-group densities during and outside of school hours and differences in School Heathy Eating Index (School-HEI) scores across sociodemographic characteristics were examined using survey-weighted, linear regression models. Children reported consuming, on average, 746 kcal during school hours (one-third of their daily energy intakes). Vitamins A, D, B 12 , calcium, and dairy products densities were at least 20% lower during school hours compared with non-school hours. Differences in School-HEI scores were poorly explained by sociodemographic factors, although age and province of residence emerged as significant correlates. The school context provides an important opportunity to promote healthy eating, particularly among adolescents who have the poorest school-hour dietary practices. The nutritional profile of foods consumed at school could be potentially improved with increased intake of dairy products, thereby increasing intakes of protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, calcium, and magnesium.

The importance of school lunches to the overall dietary intake of children in Sweden: a nationally representative study

“…shown that school meals that follow food-based standards have a higher nutrient density than packed lunches prepared at home and consumed in school (20,(43)(44)(45)(46) . This stands in contrast to findings from Canada (47) , where the nutrient density of most studied micronutrients was lower during school hours compared with meals consumed on non-school hours in a national sample of pupils. These differences might be explained by the broad variation in adherence to school nutrition guidelines and financial prerequisites across the country (47) .…”

“…Furthermore, the Canadian study assessed intake during school hours (09.00-14.00 hours), which could also have included intakes of energy-dense and nutrient-poor snacks. On the other hand, meals consumed during school hours provided significantly more vegetables to children as compared with meals consumed on non-school hours (47) .…”

Different Intakes of Energy and Protein in Stunted and Non-stunted Elementary School Children in Indonesia

“…Previous research has established the particular importance of energy and protein consumption in growth, and that one of the most influential factors in stunting is a child's diet. The school context provides an important opportunity to promote healthy eating, particularly among adolescents who have the poorest school-hour dietary practices [7].…”

Are closed campus policies associated with youth eating behaviours?

“…Other researchers have noted that CCP would not be effective in preventing students from purchasing food at nearby food retailers before or after school (21). While this may be the case, particularly for snacks, these preliminary cross-sectional results suggest an overall reduction in SSB consumption and fast food lunches during the school week; and given that at least one-third of students' total caloric consumption occurs during school hours (43,44,28), improving the lunchtime meal among youth has considerable potential to advance population nutrition.…”