Possible effects of a free, healthy school meal on overall meal frequency among 10–12-year-olds in Norway: the School Meal Project

Vik, Frøydis Nordgård; Næss, Ida K.; Heslien, Kaia Elisabeth Paulsen; Øverby, Nina Cecilie

doi:10.1186/s13104-019-4418-6

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(26 reference statements)

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“…A study by IlløKken et al assessed students ages 10–12 in an intervention school offering free school lunch (compared with a control group comprised of students at the same school and an additional control school) and found that free school lunch was positively associated with healthy food scores after six months of exposure, primarily due to increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and fish spread [ 75 ]. In a separate report of results after following the same students for a year, Vik et al found that healthy food scores remained significantly higher in the intervention group compared with the control group [ 76 ], but there were no significant changes in overall meal frequency (e.g., frequency of eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner on weekdays) [ 77 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Universal School Meals and Associations with Student Participation, Attendance, Academic Performance, Diet Quality, Food Security, and Body Mass Index: A Systematic Review

et al. 2021

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The school environment plays an important role in children’s diets and overall health, and policies for universal free school meals have the potential to contribute to positive child health outcomes. This systematic review evaluates studies examining the association between universal free school meals and students’ school meal participation rates, diets, attendance, academic performance, and Body Mass Index (BMI), as well as school finances. The search was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A search for studies published in economically developed countries published through December 2020 was performed in PubMed, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Thomson Reuters’ Web of Science, and Academic Search Ultimate, followed by examining the references in the resultant literature. A total of 47 studies were identified and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was applied to assess bias. Nearly all studies examining universal free school meals found positive associations with school meal participation. Most studies examining universal free school meals that included free lunch found positive associations with diet quality, food security, and academic performance; however, the findings of studies examining only universal free breakfast were mixed. Research findings were similarly mixed when examining attendance as an outcome. Concerns about adverse outcomes on student BMI were not supported by the literature; in fact, several studies detected a potentially protective effect of universal free school meals on BMI. Research examining the impact of universal free meals on school finances was limited, but suggest that lower-income school districts in the U.S. may have positive financial outcomes from participation in universal free school meal provisions. Additionally, providing free meals to students may be associated with improved household incomes, particularly among lower-income families with children. Further research is needed to examine the financial implications of universal free meals for both school districts and families. Overall, universal free school meals may have multiple benefits for students and countries should consider universal free school meal provisions with strong nutrition guidelines. (PROSPERO registration: CRD42020221782).

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Universal School Meals and Associations with Student Participation, Attendance, Academic Performance, Diet Quality, Food Security, and Body Mass Index: A Systematic Review

et al. 2021

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“…A control group ( n = 109) continued bringing packed meals from home as usual. The intervention was evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative methods with the findings from the former reported elsewhere ( 5 , 23 , 26 ). This paper reports an analysis of interviews with students and teachers that were carried out immediately post-intervention (2015), and follow-up interviews with teachers and students carried out 5 years later in 2020.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Free school meals as an opportunity to target social equality, healthy eating, and school functioning: experiences from students and teachers in Norway

Illøkken

Johannessen

Barker

et al. 2021

Food & Nutrition Research

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Background: There are no national arrangements for free school meals provision in Norway despite this being an important opportunity to improve children’s and adolescents’ nutritional status and ultimately their physical and cognitive development. During a one academic year (2014–2015), a group of Norwegian sixth graders were served a free healthy school meal in a project called ‘The School Meal Project’. Objective: To explore students’ and teachers’ experiences of receiving free school meals after the free school meal in 2015 and 5 years later. Design: In-depth, semi-structured interviews with separate groups in 2015 and in 2020 were conducted face to face or via telephone or digital platforms. The findings are based on 13 students (aged 12–16) and 5 teacher interviews. Findings: Thematic analysis identified four main themes that describe the perceived benefits of receiving free school meals: 1) the meal as a social event where students made new friends and learned new skills; 2) as an aid to forming healthy eating habits; and as an opportunity to 3) improve school functioning and 4) increase social equality among students. Discussion: Our analysis suggests that the free school meal may influence healthy behaviors not only at the individual level but also at the social-, physical-, and macro-levels. Methodological limitations, including self-selection bias, should be considered when interpreting our findings. Conclusion: This study provides unique insights into the social benefits for students of receiving free school meals. Our findings illustrate the potential of free school meals: eating healthy foods, sharing a meal together, and interaction between students and teachers at mealtime, to promote health, learning, and equality. In order to maximize these benefits through national implementation of free school meals, more understanding is needed of possible facilitators and barriers related to the provision and uptake of free school meals.

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“…As provision of meals at school has become a political priority in Norway, studies on the introduction and evaluation of school meals in Norway are increasing [32,[34][35][36][37]62]. However, there is a lack of studies including a wide sample of pupils, teachers and parents.…”

Section: Strengths and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Norway, there have been several initiatives and pilot projects to test different school meal models and how school meals could be implemented [30,31]. The few intervention studies that have been conducted have generally shown an association with a healthier diet [28,[32][33][34][35][36].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childrens’ Participation in Free School Meals A Qualitative Study Among Pupils, Parents and Teachers

Mauer¹,

Torheim²,

Terragni³

2022

Preprint

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School meals can have a key function in promoting children’s health. However, simply providing a free school meal is not a guarantee that pupils will actually eat the food. The purpose of this study was to explore factors influencing pupils’ participation in free school meal schemes in Oslo The study has a qualitative research design, inspired by grounded theory. Data were collected through interviews with pupils, teachers and parents, and participant observations in two schools participating in a pilot project funded by Oslo Municipality. Line-by-line coding, memo writing and a constant comparative technique were used to analyse the data. One primary school and one lower-secondary school in different districts in Oslo that were implementing two different free school meal models. 39 pupils (5th–10th grade), 15 parents and 12 school employees were included. Four main factors related to pupils’ participation to free school meals emerged from the analysis: the popularity of the food served, the attraction to the nearby shopping centre, social aspects and predictability. To promote pupils’ participation in free school meal schemes, schools need to solve the challenges of balancing between healthy food and popular but often unhealthy food. Children and parents involvement, regularity of the meals provision, a good flow of information and the creation of a friendly eating environment are recommended

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Possible effects of a free, healthy school meal on overall meal frequency among 10–12-year-olds in Norway: the School Meal Project

Cited by 6 publications

References 22 publications

Universal School Meals and Associations with Student Participation, Attendance, Academic Performance, Diet Quality, Food Security, and Body Mass Index: A Systematic Review

Universal School Meals and Associations with Student Participation, Attendance, Academic Performance, Diet Quality, Food Security, and Body Mass Index: A Systematic Review

Free school meals as an opportunity to target social equality, healthy eating, and school functioning: experiences from students and teachers in Norway

Childrens’ Participation in Free School Meals A Qualitative Study Among Pupils, Parents and Teachers

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