1. Free school meals as an approach to reduce health inequalities among 10–12- year-old Norwegian children
- Author
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Frøydis N. Vik, Wendy Van Lippevelde, and Nina C. Øverby
- Subjects
Children ,Free school meal ,Intervention ,Weight status ,Healthy food score ,Socio-economic status ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 - Abstract
Abstract Background Children spend a considerable amount of time at school and consume at least one meal/day. This study aimed to investigate if a free, healthy school meal every day for one school year was associated with children’s intake of healthy foods at school, weight status and moderating effects of socio-economic status. Methods A non-randomized study design with an intervention and a control group was used to measure change in children’s dietary habits at lunchtime. In total, 164 children participated; 55 in the intervention group and 109 in the control group (baseline). Intervention-children were served a free, healthy school meal every school day for one year. Participating children completed a food frequency questionnaire at baseline, at five months follow-up and after one year. Children’s anthropometrics were measured at all three timepoints. Intervention effects on children’s Healthy food score, BMI z-scores, and waist circumference were examined by conducting a Repeated Measures Multivariate ANOVA. Moderating effects of children’s gender and parental socio-economic status were investigated for each outcome. Results A significant intervention effect on children’s outcomes (multivariate) between baseline and after one year (F = 2.409, p more...
- Published
- 2019
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