Student Satisfaction of Scratch-Cooked, Healthier Modified Meals and Assessment of the School-Provided Lunch and Dinner Program for Elementary School Children, Ages 6-11

Abstract

In 2011, an elementary school in Santa Cruz County, CA implemented scratchcooked, healthier modified recipes and an after-school dinner program to provide its students three scratch-cooked, nutritious meals. The purpose of the study was to evaluate student satisfaction with the meals and assess the lunch and dinner programs offered. Forty-seven students who participated in the after-school program and consumed the school lunch or dinner during the three-day data collection completed the survey. Each day, 20 participants were selected at random and asked to rate their satisfaction with the schoolprovided lunch and/or dinner on a binary “approve” or “disapprove” scale. The same children were also asked to rate their hunger level at each meal on a three-point scale (very hungry; slightly hungry; not hungry). Finally, the meal intake at lunch and dinner was recorded on a validated five-point scale (0, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1). In addition, photographs of meal trays before and after consumption were taken to estimate meal intake for both lunch and dinner. At lunch, 16.6% of students consumed all of their meal and 53.3% reported they were “very hungry” whereas at dinner 60% consumed all of their meal and 73.3% reported they were “very hungry” over the three-day data collection period (p1⁄4 <1.0 x 10-7). Overall satisfaction scores were higher at dinner (93%) than at lunch (57%). Nutrient analysis revealed that children received approximately 1,538 calories from the three school-provided meals. In conclusion, by encouraging student participation in the school meals, consumption and satisfaction was significantly improved.