Dietary Intake and Lifestyle Habits of Children Aged 10-12 Years Enrolled in the School Lunch Program in Greece: A Cross Sectional Analysis.

Olga Malisova,Antonis Vlassopoulos,Evaggelia Panagodimou,Maria Kapsokefalou,Aikaterini Kandyliari

doi:10.3390/nu13020493

Abstract

School Lunch programs are a common strategy to address social inequalities in food access among children, especially food insecurity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dietary intake and lifestyle habits of children aged 10–12 years enrolled in the School Lunch Program in Greece. A cross-sectional survey of fifth and sixth grade students, School Lunch recipients (n = 609) and control subjects (n = 736), collected data on sociodemographic, nutritional and lifestyle habits via self-reported questionnaires during May–October 2019. Despite enrollment in the School Lunch Program children in this group reported consuming less meals during the day (3.47 ± 1.38 vs. 3.65 ± 1.35, p = 0.002). No differences were seen in intakes of energy and macronutrients, however School Lunch recipients reported lower intakes of cereals/potatoes and legumes but higher fruit intake (2.32 ± 1.59 vs. 1.97 ± 1.72, p < 0.05). School Lunch recipients reported 42min/d and 28min/d higher screen-time during weekdays and weekends, respectively. Linear regression highlighted that dietary quality was not associated with School Lunch enrollment but rather sleep duration and screen time had a stronger influence on dietary habits. Enrollment in a School Lunch Program was linked to sustained differences in sedentary lifestyle habits but less so in dietary habits.

Highlights

A key focus of school level nutritional policies is ensuring that children at school have access to healthy, nutritious foods through the promotion of a healthy food environment [1]
The mean age of mothers was 41.8 ± 5.2 years with slightly younger mothers in the School Lunch group, while no difference was seen in the age of fathers between the two groups with a study mean age of fathers of 45.5 ± 5.8 years (Table 1)
This study is the first to evaluate the dietary and lifestyle habits of children enrolled in the national School Lunch Program in Greece and compare them with an age-socioeconomic status–matched control population of non-recipients

Summary

Introduction

A key focus of school level nutritional policies is ensuring that children at school have access to healthy, nutritious foods through the promotion of a healthy food environment [1]. Two policies are the most commonly employed, (i) the regulation of foods available for purchase in school canteens and/or (ii) the provision of school meals, either free or with a small cost [1,2]. School Lunch, the most effective of all policies, is often seen as a strong political commitment in the fight of childhood obesity and is often introduced in countries/states with an extensive portfolio of public health measures [3]. With food security on the rise, the Greek government introduced School Lunches as a state intervention in 2016 in an effort to ensure access to sufficient nutritious food for children affected by the economic crisis [11]. Public schools can opt to be enrolled in the program in the beginning of each academic year based on socio-economic indicators of the vicinity such as of poverty and parental unemployment. For schools enrolled in the program, meals are provided to all children irrespectively of the household socioeconomic status, as long as their parents/guardians have given their written consent and indicative information on food allergies or intolerances of their children

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion