142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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304320
When and Where to Serve School Breakfast: Ensuring Students Are Well Nourished and Ready to Learn

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 8:30 AM - 8:50 AM

Lorrene Ritchie, PhD, RD , College of Natural Resources, Atkins Center for Weight and Health, UC-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Keenan Fenton, MS , College of Natural Resources, University of California, Atkins Center for Weight and Health, Berkeley, CA
Nila Rosen, MPH , Atkins Center for Weight and Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Tia Shimada, MPH , California Food Policy Advocates, California Food Policy Advocates, Oakland, CA
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
INTRODUCTION: Effective school breakfast programs help ensure that children are well nourished each school day. Some assert that serving breakfast in the classroom encourages students to eat two breakfasts (one at home and school), which may lead to excessive energy intake, and over time, obesity risk. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship of when and where school breakfast is served with breakfast energy intake, daily energy intake, and diet quality.

METHODS: A diary-assisted 24-hour recall was collected during the 2011-12 school year from 3,944 4th-5th graders attending 43 elementary schools in California. School breakfast characteristics were obtained from school staff. Student dietary recalls were coded using the USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies database. Associations of school breakfast type with dietary intake were estimated using GEE.

RESULTS: Students served breakfast in the classroom were significantly less likely to skip breakfast and had a higher daily diet quality compared to students served breakfast in the cafeteria. When breakfast was served in the classroom, students were more likely to eat breakfast at school, rather than home, compared to when breakfast was served in the cafeteria. When breakfast was served in the classroom, more students consumed two breakfasts, but daily energy intake did not differ between groups.

DISCUSSION: Serving breakfast in the classroom may help elementary students decrease breakfast skipping and improve diet quality. Further examination of school breakfast policies and practices in relation to longer-term dietary intake and BMI change is recommended.

Learning Areas:

Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Identify different types of school breakfast policies and practices and associated characteristics of each. Discuss the potential effect of different breakfast policies and practices on caloric intake at breakfast and throughout the day for elementary school children. Compare the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores and sub-scores associated with different breakfast policies and practices.

Keyword(s): Nutrition, Obesity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal or co-principal of multiple grants focusing on children and dietary quality in schools. I have been responsible for the direction and leadership of this study, which focuses on dietary intake during school breakfast.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3038.0: Effective ways of promoting healthy eating in school.