Statewide Universal School Meals Policies and Food Insecurity: Difference-in-Differences Analysis

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Nutrition Policy
• Socioeconomic Determinants of Health

Background:

• The National School Lunch and Breakfast Program aims to combat food insecurity but requires payment for some children.
• Universal school meals (USM) policies offer free meals to all students, regardless of income.
• The impact of USM on food insecurity, especially for students who would otherwise pay, requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the association between statewide universal school meals (USM) policies and household and child food insecurity.
• To analyze these associations across different household income levels.

Main Methods:

• A difference-in-differences study design was employed.
• Utilized a nationally representative sample of US households with children aged 6-17 years (2012-2021, 2023-2024).
• Compared food insecurity outcomes in states maintaining USM policies after 2022 against those that did not, stratifying by household income.

Main Results:

• Households with the highest incomes in USM states saw reduced household and child food insecurity.
• Low-middle income households in USM states experienced reduced household food insecurity.
• Lowest income households saw reduced child food insecurity, though this finding requires caution due to potential assumption violations.

Conclusions:

• Statewide universal school meals (USM) policies are associated with decreased household food insecurity.
• USM policies demonstrate potential benefits across various income strata, particularly for higher-income households and child food insecurity in the lowest income bracket.
• Further research may be needed to fully understand the nuances of USM impact across all income levels and to address potential methodological limitations.