Abstract
School-based child nutrition programs provide students with meals and snacks that align with guidelines for a healthy eating pattern. However, participation is not universal, and research on the determinants of food selection is needed to improve school nutrition practices and policies. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between grade level (i.e., grade school, middle school, or high school) as well as meal participation category (i.e., only breakfast, only lunch, or both) and food trying and liking in a large urban school district. Outcomes were measured using an online survey completed by students from 2nd through 12th grade (n = 21,540). Breakfast and lunch item liking scores were higher among the grade school and middle school students than among the high school students. Breakfast and lunch liking scores were also higher among those who participated in both breakfast and lunch as opposed to those who only participated in one meal. Food item liking scores were positively correlated with the percentage of students who had tried the particular foods (r = 0.52, p < 0.001), and the number of foods tried was dependent on both grade level and meal participation category (F(4, 21,531) = 10.994, p < 0.001). In this survey of students, both grade level and meal participation category were found to be related to the liking of foods, while foods that were tried more often tended to be liked more. Future studies should consider grade level and meal participation when exploring student preferences. School nutrition programs should also consider these factors when assessing satisfaction.
Highlights
Optimal growth and development is reliant on sound nutrition [1,2,3]
The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) school-based child nutrition programs are important public programs developed to ensure that children receive meals and snacks that align with current guidelines for a healthy eating pattern [15]
The timing and the length of the lunch period, school policies, and parental perceptions, are all associated with school nutrition program outcomes
Summary
The diets of many children and adolescents in the United States (U.S.) do not meet nutrient recommendations [4] and fall short of current guidelines for a healthy eating pattern [5]. Behaviors that contribute to dietary shortfall among children (e.g., consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, limited fruit and vegetable intake) are associated with an array of individual and environmental factors including infant/child feeding practices [6,7,8,9], food neophobia [6,8], parental eating patterns [6,9,10], food insecurity [11], television watching [9,12], the food environment [9,10], and public policies [13]. The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) school-based child nutrition programs are important public programs developed to ensure that children receive meals and snacks that align with current guidelines for a healthy eating pattern [15]. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP), which serves nearly 30 billion meals per
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