Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 6, 2026
Determining Soil-transmitted Helminth Infection Status and Physical Fitness of School-aged Children
Published on: August 22, 2012
Variation in Nutritional Quality of School Lunches With Implementation of National School Lunch Program Guidelines
Jillian M Joyce1, Richard R Rosenkranz2, Sara K Rosenkranz3
1Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health, College of Human Ecology, Kansas State University; Physical Activity and Nutrition Clinical Research Consortium, Kansas State University, Lafene Student Health Center, 1105 Sunset Avenue, Room 324, Manhattan, KS 66506.
Background:
School lunches must meet National School Lunch Program (NSLP) requirements to receive reimbursement. In this study, we sought to determine whether there are significant differences in nutrient content and nutritional quality between 2 menus meeting NSLP requirements.
Methods:
A cross-sectional content analysis compared 6 weeks of a typical school lunch menu (TM) from an actual school district to a best practice school lunch menu (BPM) created by a registered dietitian based on Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) best practices and Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) healthy meal pattern recommendations. Daily nutrient content was determined using nutrient analysis software. Nutritional quality was computed using Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2010.
Results:
For nutrients required for analysis, the BPM was lower in calories, saturated fat, and sodium and higher in protein, carbohydrate, and fiber (ps < .01). For other nutrients of concern, the BPM was higher in vitamin A, vitamin D, phosphorus, and magnesium (ps < .01). The BPM had higher HEI scores for nutritional quality (p < .001).
Conclusions:
Results indicate the possibility for significant variation in nutritional quality of NSLP-qualifying lunches. Using CACFP best practices and DGA recommendations may significantly impact school lunch dietary quality.
More Related Videos
08:05Measuring Statistical Learning Across Modalities and Domains in School-Aged Children Via an Online Platform and Neuroimaging Techniques
Published on: June 30, 2020
09:55Bridging the Technology Divide in the COVID-19 Era: Using Virtual Outreach to Expose Middle and High School Students to Imaging Technology
Published on: September 28, 2022
Related Concept Videos
02:11The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
01:14What is Variation?
The range, standard deviation, standard error, and variance are the different measures of variation.
Range: The range is the difference between its maximum and...
01:26National Nursing Organizations I
01:30National Nursing Organizations II
The AACN emphasizes a healthy work environment through six standards to achieve an optimal patient outcome. The standards are appropriate staffing, meaningful recognition, collaboration, authentic leadership, effective communication, and decision-making. In addition, AACN provides certification programs, webinars, journals, and...
01:19Variation
When independent and dependent variables are plotted on a scatter plot, the slope of a line is a value that describes the rate of change between the two...
01:27Parentral Nutrition: Centeral and Peripheral Parental Nutrition
PN can be administered through two primary routes:
1. Central Parenteral Nutrition (CPN):
CPN involves delivering a high concentration of nutrients through a large vein. This is typically achieved using a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) or,...