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A Review of Nutritional Guidelines and Menu Compositions for School Feeding Programs in 12 Countries.

ABSTRACT: STUDY OBJECTIVES:To analyze the nutritional guidelines and menu compositions of school meal provision in various different countries. BACKGROUND:School feeding is the provision of food on-site or to take home, which aims to increase school enrollment, attendance and retention, and exist as a social safety net for households with very low income. Home-grown school feeding, additionally, aims to stimulate local economies by providing a source of income for local smallholder farmers. METHODS:Literature searches using the Ovid MEDLINE databases gathered information from in-country stakeholders and accessed the program websites of various countries. Nutrient composition of these menus was calculated from nutritional guidelines and menu compositions using a nutrition linear programing tool. COUNTRY COMPARISONS:School feeding aims differ between countries of each income group. The implementation, delivery of service, and nutritional content of foods also differ considerably between countries and income groups. In high-income countries, guidelines and standards have been recommended in an attempt to combat rising levels of overweight and obesity, and to model healthier lifestyle habits. In low-income countries, there is a gap in terms of guidance on nutrition standards and menu composition. CONCLUSION:Provision of evidence-based guidance on nutrition standards to middle and low income countries, who have recently established or are planning to establish school feeding, has the potential to greatly enhance and improve the quality of service and improve the life of millions of children worldwide.

SUBMITTER: Aliyar R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4524891 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A Review of Nutritional Guidelines and Menu Compositions for School Feeding Programs in 12 Countries.

Aliyar Ruzky R Gelli Aulo A Hamdani Salha Hadjivayanis SH

Frontiers in public health 20150805

<h4>Study objectives</h4>To analyze the nutritional guidelines and menu compositions of school meal provision in various different countries.<h4>Background</h4>School feeding is the provision of food on-site or to take home, which aims to increase school enrollment, attendance and retention, and exist as a social safety net for households with very low income. Home-grown school feeding, additionally, aims to stimulate local economies by providing a source of income for local smallholder farmers. ...[more]

PMID: 26301209

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Project description:The benefits of school feeding have been well documented. As such, school feeding programs have continuously gained popularity in developing countries. However, challenges and potential opportunities persist, calling for a review of school feeding for long-term sustainability. South Africa has an opportunity to improve their National School Nutrition Program (NSNP) by including an energy-dense snack that would increase the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of school children to meet at least 25% of their energy requirements. The objective of this scoping review was to conduct a review and an appraisal of studies on snack food development for school feeding programs in Africa. Eligible studies had to report snack development for school feeding programs in Africa. We conducted an electronic search in National Research Foundation (NRF) NEXUS, Elton B. Stephens Company (EBSCO), International Food Information Service (IFIS), Nutrition and Food Sciences Center for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI.ORG), and Google Scholar. Of the 429 articles identified, nine studies were included in the final review-five from within South Africa and four from elsewhere in Africa. Data extracted included the study design, intervention, outcomes, relevant findings, and limitations. Results were presented in a narrative summary. The review findings showed that energy-rich staple foods and food fortification were commonly used in snack development. The popular snack products developed included porridges and biscuits. While most studies reported nutritional outcomes, few studies reported on sensory acceptability tests and only two studies conducted a cost analysis. This review of previous snack development initiatives for school feeding programs in Africa underscores the importance of establishing the sustainability of any food product developed. The findings of this review have the potential to inform future snack product development for school feeding programs.

Project description:BackgroundThe World Bank has reported that global smoking rates declined from 2000 to 2012, with the only exception found in males in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa is considered to be in stage one of the tobacco epidemic continuum. To address this problem, school-based programs for smoking prevention are considered cost-effective and promising. Since tobacco prevention programs are influenced by social competence or customs of each country, tobacco prevention programs that have success in Western countries are not always effective in African countries. Therefore, the current study systematically reviewed relevant literature to examine the effects of these types of programs in African countries.MethodOnline bibliographic databases and a hand search were used. We included the studies that examined the impact of school-based programs on preventing tobacco use in Africa from 2000 to 2016.ResultsSix articles were selected. Four were conducted in South Africa and two were performed in Nigeria. Four programs were systematically incorporated into annual curriculums, targeting 8th to 9th graders, while the other two were temporary programs. All programs were based on the hypothesis that providing knowledge and/or social skills against smoking would be helpful. All studies utilized smoking or polydrug use rates to compare outcomes before/after intervention. There were no significant differences between intervention and control groups in three studies, with the other three demonstrating only partial effectiveness. Additionally, three studies also examined change of knowledge/attitudes towards smoking as an outcome. Two of these showed significant differences between groups.ConclusionAll RCTs studies showed no significant change of smoking-rate by the intervention. The effectiveness of intervention was observed only in some sub-group. The cohort studies showed school-based interventions may be effective in improving knowledge and attitudes about smoking. However, they reported no significant change of smoking-rate by the intervention.

Project description:BackgroundLess healthy diets are common in high income countries, although proportionally higher in those of low socio-economic status. Food subsidy programs are one strategy to promote healthy nutrition and to reduce socio-economic inequalities in health. This review summarises the evidence for the health and nutritional impacts of food subsidy programs among disadvantaged families from high income countries.MethodsRelevant studies reporting dietary intake or health outcomes were identified through systematic searching of electronic databases. Cochrane Public Health Group guidelines informed study selection and interpretation. A narrative synthesis was undertaken due to the limited number of studies and heterogeneity of study design and outcomes.ResultsFourteen studies were included, with most reporting on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children in the USA. Food subsidy program participants, mostly pregnant or postnatal women, were shown to have 10-20% increased intake of targeted foods or nutrients. Evidence for the effectiveness of these programs for men or children was lacking. The main health outcome observed was a small but clinically relevant increase in mean birthweight (23-29g) in the two higher quality WIC studies.ConclusionsLimited high quality evidence of the impacts of food subsidy programs on the health and nutrition of adults and children in high income countries was identified. The improved intake of targeted nutrients and foods, such as fruit and vegetables, could potentially reduce the rate of non-communicable diseases in adults, if the changes in diet are sustained. Associated improvements in perinatal outcomes were limited and most evident in women who smoked during pregnancy. Thus, food subsidy programs for pregnant women and children should aim to focus on improving nutritional status in the longer term. Further prospective studies and economic analyses are needed to confirm the health benefits and justify the investment in food subsidy programs.

Project description:BackgroundSchool-based meal programs can promote healthy dietary intake in youth. However, limited data exist regarding the impact of income-targeted school meal programs across countries, particularly among food-insecure youth.ObjectivesWe examined self-reported awareness of and participation in free school meal programs, and associations with dietary intake in youth from 6 countries with differing national school meal policies.MethodsData were collected through the 2019 International Food Policy Study Youth Survey, a cross-sectional survey of 10,565 youth aged 10-17 y from Australia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Regression models examined: 1) country differences in awareness of and participation in breakfast and lunch programs; and 2) associations between lunch program participation and intake of fruit and vegetables, and "less healthy" foods during the previous school lunch day.ResultsAwareness of and participation in free breakfast and lunch programs varied across countries. Approximately half of USA and Chilean students participated in school lunch programs-the countries with the most comprehensive national policies-compared with one-fifth of students in the United Kingdom, and ∼5% in Australia, Canada, and Mexico (P < 0.001 for all contrasts). In the United States and Chile, more than two-thirds of youth with the highest level of food insecurity participated in lunch programs, compared with 45% in the United Kingdom, 27% in Canada, and ≤20% in Australia and Mexico. In all countries, youth reporting school lunch program participation were more likely to report fruit and vegetable intake during their previous school lunch (P < 0.001), and higher intake of "less healthy" food in all countries except the United States and Chile.ConclusionsMore comprehensive national policies were associated with greater participation in school meal programs, particularly among youth at greatest risk of food insecurity, as well as healthier dietary intake from school lunches.

Project description:BackgroundSchool feeding programs are ubiquitous in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and may have critical implications for the health and education of school-age children and adolescents. This systematic review aimed to assess the impacts of school feeding on educational and health outcomes of children and adolescents in LMICs.MethodsInterventional studies on the effects of school feeding on nutritional and health outcomes of children and adolescents receiving primary or secondary education in LMICs were included. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, and grey literature were searched (through December 2019) to identify eligible studies. We included randomized controlled trials and controlled before-after studies on school feeding conducted in LMICs among children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 who received primary or secondary education. Two reviewers independently conducted study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment. Meta-analyses were performed for outcomes available in three or more independent studies. Subgroup analyses were conducted by study design and school feeding modality whenever possible.ResultsFifty-seven articles met the inclusion criteria for the review, including 44 randomized controlled trials and 13 controlled before-after studies; 19 articles were included in the meta-analysis. School feeding resulted in a significant increase in height (mean difference = 0.32 cm; confidence interval (CI) = 0.03, 0.61; P = 0.032) and weight (mean difference: 0.58 kg; 95% 95% CI = 0.22, 0.93; P = 0.001) over 12 months, compared to those in the control groups. School feeding also resulted in a significant increase in the percentage of school days attended (2.6%; 95% CI = 1.2%, 3.9%; P < 0.001).ConclusionsSchool feeding is an important approach to improving the health and education outcomes of children and adolescents living in LMICs. More well-designed research is needed to establish further the effectiveness of school feeding for nutritional outcomes and academic achievement.RegistrationPROSPERO ID: CRD42020159003.

Project description:Considering the importance of schools for sustainable food offers and the formation of conscientious citizens on sustainability, this systematic review aimed to verify the recommendations on sustainability in school feeding policies and the sustainability practices adopted in schools. The research question that guided this study is "what are the recommendations on sustainability in school feeding policies and the sustainability practices adopted in schools?". This systematic review was prepared according to PRISMA, and its checklist was registered in PROSPERO. Specific search strategies for Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed, Lilacs, Google Scholar, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global were developed. The included studies' methodological quality was evaluated using the Meta-Analysis Statistical Assessment and Review Instrument (MASTARI). A total of 134 studies were selected for a full reading. Of these, 50 met the eligibility criteria and were included in the systematic review. Several sustainability practices were described. The most cited are school gardens and education activities for sustainability. However, actions carried out in food services were also mentioned, from the planning of menus and the purchase of raw materials (mainly local and organic foods, vegetarian/vegan menus) to the distribution of meals (reduction of organic and inorganic waste: composting, recycling, donating food, and portion sizes). Recommendations for purchasing sustainable food (organic, local, and seasonal), nutrition education focused on sustainability, and reducing food waste were frequent; this reinforces the need to stimulate managers' view, in their most varied spheres, for the priority that should be given to this theme, so that education for sustainability is universally part of the curricula. The importance of education in enabling individuals to promote sustainable development is reaffirmed in Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4). The development of assessment instruments can help monitor the evolution of sustainable strategies at schools and the main barriers and potentialities related to their implementation.

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A Review of Nutritional Guidelines and Menu Compositions for School Feeding Programs in 12 Countries.

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A Review of Nutritional Guidelines and Menu Compositions for School Feeding Programs in 12 Countries.

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