Breakfast and school lunch as pathways for enhancing educational outcomes and promoting public health

Health and education are closely linked. Healthy students are suggested to be better learners (3). Healthy behaviors, including healthy diets, physical activity, and sufficient sleep, might provide optimal conditions for adolescents’ brain development and learning (4). The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the role of having breakfast (at home) and providing free school lunches in students’ educational outcomes. The thesis also sought to assess the contributions of these meals to public health promotion. Its focus is adolescents (for the school setting, the term “students” is used). Adolescence is a period in life in which youth go through important developmental phases in their transition toward young adulthood. Health promotion efforts can make considerable contributions to their health, wellbeing, and education outcomes, that later on also might benefit their adult health and employment outcomes (3, 5-8). The Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing therefore brought attention to the importance of health investments in adolescents, bringing a triple dividend of benefits for them now, in adulthood, and for their future children (6).publishedVersio

Effects of a free school meal on lunch habitsin Norwegian elementary school children The School Meal Project in Aust-Agder.

Masteroppgave folkehelsevitenskap- Universitetet i Agder, 2015Norway has no national arrangement for a free served school meal. This has led to mainly two concerns: that many children may attend school without eating a healthy meal throughout the school day, and that many children may skip their lunch. The aim of this study was to investigate if a free healthy school meal had impacts on children’s intake of different foods during the lunch, and thereby contribute to a healthier diet at school. The School Meal Project is an intervention and has a quasi-experimental study design- with an intervention and a control group. A total of 55 (96%) children in the intervention group and 109 (67%) children in the control group, all aged ten to twelve years, answered on a questionnaire at two time points with a six-month interval. Results were evaluated with a healthy food score consisting of thirteen food items, which was calculated based on a food-frequency questionnaire section. Chi-Square and Independent Samples Test was used to examine the hypothesis. The results showed that the total food score increased significantly at follow-up 1, more in the intervention group (1.7) compared to the control group (0.5), p=0.008. The change in the total food score was mainly due to an increase in the intake of fruit (p=<0.001), vegetables (p= 0.001), and fish spread (p=0.022) among children in the intervention group compared to the control group. In conclusion, serving of a free healthy school meal increased children’s intake of healthy food products. Further studies are needed to clarify effects on school meal and impact on health- and school-outcomes and possible long-term effects

Possible effects of a free school meal on school environment : The School Meal Intervention in Norway

Evidence suggests that a free school meal can improve children and adolescent diet, social environment, concentration, and school performance. This study aimed to investigate possible effects of a free, healthy school meal among students that usually eat packed meals on behavioral issues, inactiveness, self-efficacy, school enjoyment and classroom environment. A school meal according to the dietary guidelines was served to students in the intervention group (n=55) for one year. A control group consumed packed meals as usual (n=109). Students (10-12 years) responded to a questionnaire at baseline and after one year. We used linear regression analyses and did not find significant effects of a free school meal on behavioral issues (B= 0.01, p 0.86), inactiveness (B= -0.05, p 0.51), self - efficacy (B= -0.04, p 0.52), school enjoyment (B= 0.11, p 0.19) or classroom environment (B= -0.07, p 0.26). Methodological limitations might explain our lack of findings.publishedVersio

Possible effects of a free school meal on school environment : The School Meal Intervention in Norway

Evidence suggests that a free school meal can improve children and adolescent diet, social environment, concentration, and school performance. This study aimed to investigate possible effects of a free, healthy school meal among students that usually eat packed meals on behavioral issues, inactiveness, self-efficacy, school enjoyment and classroom environment. A school meal according to the dietary guidelines was served to students in the intervention group (n=55) for one year. A control group consumed packed meals as usual (n=109). Students (10-12 years) responded to a questionnaire at baseline and after one year. We used linear regression analyses and did not find significant effects of a free school meal on behavioral issues (B= 0.01, p 0.86), inactiveness (B= -0.05, p 0.51), self - efficacy (B= -0.04, p 0.52), school enjoyment (B= 0.11, p 0.19) or classroom environment (B= -0.07, p 0.26). Methodological limitations might explain our lack of findings

Associations between having breakfast and reading literacy achievement among Nordic primary school students

Having breakfast is associated with improved diet quality, cognitive- and academic performance and can therefore positively impact learning and health, although the impact on reading literacy is unknown in the Nordic countries. The aim of this study was to assess the association between having breakfast often versus rarely and reading literacy achievement based on Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) from 2016. The sample consisted of Danish (N = 3508), Finnish (N = 4896), Norwegian (N = 4232) and Swedish (N = 4525) students, 10–11 years old. Students self-reported their frequency of having breakfast. Linear regression analysis (adjusted for socio-economic status and gender) showed that those who often vs. rarely had breakfast achieved a higher reading literacy score. The results suggest that having breakfast may be important for reading literacy achievement even after adjusting for socioeconomic status. This potential relationship between breakfast intake and students’ academic achievement should be given priority for further research and practice as breakfast is a modifiable factor that can be both improved and be intervened on

Associations between having breakfast and reading literacy achievement among Nordic primary school students

Having breakfast is associated with improved diet quality, cognitive- and academic performance and can therefore positively impact learning and health, although the impact on reading literacy is unknown in the Nordic countries. The aim of this study was to assess the association between having breakfast often versus rarely and reading literacy achievement based on Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) from 2016. The sample consisted of Danish (N = 3508), Finnish (N = 4896), Norwegian (N = 4232) and Swedish (N = 4525) students, 10–11 years old. Students self-reported their frequency of having breakfast. Linear regression analysis (adjusted for socio-economic status and gender) showed that those who often vs. rarely had breakfast achieved a higher reading literacy score. The results suggest that having breakfast may be important for reading literacy achievement even after adjusting for socioeconomic status. This potential relationship between breakfast intake and students’ academic achievement should be given priority for further research and practice as breakfast is a modifiable factor that can be both improved and be intervened on

Free school meals as an opportunity to target social equality, healthy eating, and school functioning: experiences from students and teachers in Norway

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