Abstract
Eating breakfast is associated with better academic performance and nutrition and lower risk of obesity, but skipping breakfast is common among children and adolescents, and participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s School Breakfast Program (SBP) is low. This study assessed the association between school district wellness policy provisions coded as part of the National Wellness Policy Study and student SBP participation and acceptance of the breakfasts provided using cross-sectional survey data from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study. Separate survey-adjusted multivariable logistic regressions were computed, linking students eating (N = 1575) and liking (N = 726) the school breakfast to corresponding district policy measures, controlling for school and student characteristics. Strong district policy, as opposed to no policy, was associated with significantly higher odds of students eating the school breakfast (odds ratio (OR): 1.86; 95% CI: 1.09, 3.16; p = 0.022), corresponding to an adjusted prevalence of 28.4% versus 19.2%, and liking the school breakfast (OR: 2.14; 95% CI: 1.26, 3.63; p = 0.005), corresponding to an adjusted prevalence of 69.0% versus 53.9%. District policy has the potential to play an important role in encouraging higher levels of SBP participation.
Highlights
While skipping breakfast is common among children and adolescents, eating breakfast is associated with better academic performance, improved nutrition, and lower risk of obesity [1,2,3,4,5]
Data on student participation in and liking of the school breakfast were obtained from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study (SNMCS), which was conducted during the 2014–2015 school year on behalf of the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service [60]
Most students (51.9%) in the analysis of eating school breakfast were in a district with a strong policy on the School Breakfast Program (SBP), while only 17.7% of students in the analysis of liking school breakfast were in a district with a strong policy on strategies to increase participation in school meal programs
Summary
While skipping breakfast is common among children and adolescents, eating breakfast is associated with better academic performance, improved nutrition, and lower risk of obesity [1,2,3,4,5]. Past studies have found that availability of the SBP is associated with lower likelihood of breakfast skipping, for children from low-income families [12], that state policies requiring schools. Availability and consumption of the SBP have been found to be associated with improved nutritional outcomes [15,16,17,18], and consumption of the SBP has been found to be associated with lower body mass index (BMI) and risk of obesity, after accounting for selection bias [19,20,21], there is some mixed evidence on this [22]. Availability of the SBP has been linked to increased attendance and cognitive achievement in math, reading, and science [23,24]
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