Using focus group interviews to understand school meal choices

Focus groups were used to examine adolescents' participation in school nutrition programs, their opinions about the meals served in these programs, and their suggestions for improving the meals. A pilot and four focus group interviews were conducted with ninth grade students in five geographically distinct regions of Florida. Male students and those from rural areas were more likely to participate in school meal programs than were females and those from suburban and urban areas. Students expressed intense dislike and distrust of school meals. School meals were criticized for taste, appearance, small serving sizes, and cost. Students overwhelmingly favored commercial food vendors serving lunch at school. Suggestions for improving school meals included improving the taste and appearance of food, offering a wider variety of foods, serving more fresh fruit and vegetables, lowering the price, increasing the serving sizes, teaching food service workers how to cook, and offering more condiments.