Student Perceptions of School Lunch and Their Association With Self-Reported Participation in School Meal Programs.

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Public Health
• Educational Studies

Background:

• School meal programs are crucial for student nutrition and academic success.
• Understanding student perceptions is key to improving participation in school lunch programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate middle and high school students' perceptions of school lunches.
• To analyze the association between these perceptions and self-reported participation.
• To examine variations in perceptions and participation based on free or reduced-price meal (FRPM) eligibility, race, and ethnicity.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study utilizing data from an online survey administered in 2023.
• Involved 1,230 middle and high school students across 8 US states.
• Employed multilevel mixed-effects Poisson and logistic regression models to analyze perceptions and participation data.

Main Results:

• Approximately half of students liked school lunches, with less than half holding positive perceptions regarding quantity, variety, healthfulness, and familiarity.
• Positive perceptions correlated with higher self-reported participation.
• Black and White students reported higher participation and more favorable perceptions compared to other racial/ethnic groups.
• Students eligible for FRPM had higher participation but less favorable perceptions than non-eligible peers.
• Black students and those from lower-income households perceived school lunches as healthier than home-brought foods more often than other groups.

Conclusions:

• Enhancing the quality, variety, healthfulness, and familiarity of school meals is recommended to increase participation.
• Increased participation in school meal programs can positively impact students' health and development over time.