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Descriptors:
Breakfast Programs; Lunch Programs; Children; Obesity; Elementary School Students; Correlation; Participation; Incidence; Body Weight

Abstract:
In light of the recent rise in childhood obesity, the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and National School Lunch Program (NSLP) have received renewed attention. Using panel data on over 13,500 primary school students, we assess the relationship between SBP and NSLP participation and (relatively) long-run measures of child weight. After documenting a positive association between SBP participation and child weight, and no association between NSLP participation and child weight, we present evidence indicating positive selection into the SBP. Allowing for even modest positive selection is sufficient to alter the results, indicating that the SBP is a valuable tool in the current battle against childhood obesity, whereas the NSLP exacerbates the current epidemic. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Breakfast Programs; Child Development; Economically Disadvantaged; Student Participation; Eating Habits; Research Methodology; Statistical Analysis; Program Effectiveness; Child Health; Federal Programs; Nutrition

Abstract:
This paper analyzes the effect of participation in the School Breakfast Program (SBP) on breakfast consumption using time-diary data from the Child Development Supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Participation effects are identified by comparing differences in breakfast patterns between weekdays (when children are in school) and weekends (when they are not), for program participants versus nonparticipants. Results suggest that the SBP is associated with a significant reduction in the likelihood of eating breakfast. Additional analyses of the availability of the SBP in schools and adjustments for the quality of the time-diary data fail to alter this basic result. A plausible interpretation of this counter-intuitive result is that, contrary to parents' expectations, participating children may not actually be eating the breakfasts provided at school. (Contains 7 footnotes and 8 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Food Service; Obesity; Pilot Projects; Lunch Programs; Breakfast Programs; Nutrition; Eating Habits; Health Promotion; Low Income Groups; Dietetics; Prevention; Food; Child Health

Abstract:
The kids at Louisa May Alcott School were more into Flamin' Hot Cheetos and nachos than frisee and couscous. That is, until Greg Christian got to them. Exactly three years ago, the chef known as Chicago's conscious caterer decided to share his gastronomic talents with the city's low-income children. So he took his pilot program straight to the source: the cafeterias of the Chicago Public Schools. Christian offered them something most parents only dream about--home-cooked breakfast and lunch made mainly from locally farmed ingredients. When he tried to sell his Organic School Project to 35 school principals, all of them said no. Just as he was about to give up, Alcott's principal, David Domovic, called to deliver a resounding yes. For the next few months, the chef and a couple of his staffers whipped up delicious meals, including baked penne with Italian chicken sausage, ratatouille, and rosemary-roasted potatoes. Domovic's hunch that Christian was onto something big proved correct. He and others around the country are part of a growing movement to revamp the nation's school lunch program. Their goal? To combat childhood obesity by making sure kids make informed choices about what ends up on their plates. Furthermore, many people now recognize the benefits of what Christian and others like him are doing. Since 2004, the federal government has required that every school district participating in the national school lunch and breakfast program develop a wellness plan to help children eat healthier foods. Schools are trying to satisfy growing demands to squeeze more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains onto lunch trays. Many schools have already banned junk food in vending machines, and even the formerly sacrosanct classroom birthday party--complete with cupcakes slathered in buttercream frosting--is under attack. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Reading Comprehension; Rural Schools; Dropout Rate; Breakfast Programs; Academic Achievement; Attendance; Program Effectiveness; Short Term Memory; Foreign Countries; School Organization; Institutional Characteristics; Program Evaluation; Mathematics Achievement; Intervention; Nutrition; Elementary Education

Abstract:
In this paper, we present data from an evaluation of the educational impact of a school breakfast program implemented in rural schools in Peru. The results showed positive effects on school attendance and dropout rates, and a differential effect of the breakfast program on multiple-grade and full-grade schools. Particularly in multiple-grade schools the program shows a significant and positive effect on short-term memory, arithmetic and reading comprehension. The evaluation also showed an unexpected negative consequence: students in the breakfast group reduced their time in the classroom with their teachers and increased the time in recess (when they consumed the breakfast). Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Equal Education; Summer Programs; Low Income; Standardized Tests; Enrichment; Low Income Groups; Academic Achievement; Educational Opportunities; Scores; Children; Vacation Programs; Lunch Programs; Breakfast Programs; Nutrition

Abstract:
This report notes that studies dating back to 1906 find that children score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do in the Spring when schools close. Summer programs that address the needs of the whole child seem to be most successful at boosting academic achievement, self-esteem, and confidence. They also motivate students to want to learn, and help them develop new skills and talents. The report shows how well-designed summer programs provide academic enrichment that mitigates the summer learning gap, offer experiences that aren't available during the school year, and increase educational equity for low-income families with learning opportunities that are otherwise more readily available to affluent families. (Contains 28 endnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Food Service; Rural Schools; Intervention; Breakfast Programs; Nutrition; Grade 5; Technical Assistance; Grade 4; Child Health; Dietetics; Public Policy; Body Weight; Elementary School Students; Eating Habits

Abstract:
Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the school breakfast environment in rural Appalachian schools to inform school environment intervention and policy change. Methods: A total of 4 rural schools with fourth- and fifth-grade students in East Tennessee were assessed. A cross-sectional descriptive examination of the school food environment where food service managers submitted school menus, production sheets, and vendor bid sheets as part of the dietary data collection protocol for a school-based nutrition intervention study. The school breakfast environment was characterized in terms of calories, fat, saturated fat, and fiber from foods served on a per person basis using menus entered into Nutrient Data Systems for Research and production sheets for amounts of each food item served. Food items were grouped by the meal components of the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and ranked according to the items served most frequently. Results: Total fat provided slightly less than half the calories (43%); 15% of calories were from saturated fat. The top-ranked foods for each meal component were biscuits, sausage, 2% milk, orange juice, and gravy. Conclusions: Results suggest that clearer policies or regulations for the SBP are warranted to support policy efforts to promote childhood health. These should include technical assistance and provision of resources for school food service managers to provide low-fat meal options. Further research is needed to determine whether what is offered at school breakfast is actually consumed and how that might affect children's weight because of the high fat content. (Contains 2 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Program Effectiveness; Student Participation; Breakfast Programs; Elementary Secondary Education; Academic Achievement; Scores

Abstract:
According to James Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), breakfast is not the solution to the problems in America's schools, but it is the fastest, easiest, cheapest way of boosting school performance. According to FRAC, the federal breakfast program run by the Agricultural Department reached a record 7.7 million low-income children in the 2005-2006 school year, but still, only 40% of the children who need school breakfast receive it. This article reports on the efforts undertaken by various states to increase student participation in breakfast programs, and on the success they have seen as a result. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Neighborhoods; Clinics; Breakfast Programs; American Studies; Asian Americans; Activism; Social Change; Poverty; African Americans; United States History; Advocacy; Improvement; Urban Areas

Abstract:
Ask the average person what comes to mind at the mention of the Black Panther Party (BPP). Odds are the answer involves armed African-Americans winding up in shootouts with police. Those images have overshadowed the Panthers' free breakfast programs, medical clinics and other efforts to improve poor Black neighborhoods in the late 1960s. Also overshadowed is the fact that a handful of Asian Americans were heavily involved in the Panthers. One of them, Richard Aoki, was a friend of BPP founders Huey Newton and Bobby Seale and influenced their ideology and the contents of the famous Ten Point Platform. Aoki was among the first dozen BPP members, rising to field marshal status. During the same period, at least two Asian Americans in Seattle became Panthers as well. Yet the stories of the "Asian Panthers" are not well known even among scholars who study the Black power movement. Although BPP members were overwhelmingly Black, a handful were of Asian or Hispanic descent, says Dr. Diane Fujino, an associate professor of Asian American studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who is working on Aoki's biography. The non-Black members were few, and generally widely dispersed geographically, she says. Aoki kept his Panther membership hidden for more than two decades to protect his safety, some of the details of his involvement are murky. For his part, Aoki finds it "a little amazing" that Fujino's students, who are young enough to be his grandchildren, consider him inspiring. While Aoki was perhaps the only Asian American to become a BPP leader, the rank-and-file Asian Panthers made an impact, too. BPP member Mike Tagawa of Seattle described himself as "a foot soldier" who did weapons training and cleaning for Panthers there. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Obesity; Federal Legislation; Legislators; Nutrition; Public Health; Agriculture; Child Health; Dietetics; Lunch Programs; Breakfast Programs; Guidelines; Poverty; Hunger; Health Promotion; Food Standards

Abstract:
Statements were presented by: Honorable Tom Harkin, Chairman, U.S. Senator from Iowa, Chairman, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Honorable Robert B. Casey, Jr., U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania; Honorable Saxby Chambliss, U.S. Senator from Georgia; Honorable Richard G. Lugar; Honorable Ken Salazar, U.S. Senator from Colorado; Kelly Brownell, Founder and Director, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; Mary Lou Hennrich, Executive Director, Community Health Partnership, Portland, Oregon; Teresa Nece, Director, Food and Nutrition, Des Moines Public Schools, Des Moines, Iowa; Susan K. Neely, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Beverage Association, Washington, DC; and Janey Thornton, Child Nutrition Director, Hardin County School District, Elizabethtown, Kentucky. The following are appended: (1) Prepared Statements; and (2) Documents Submitted for the Record. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
School Health Services; Physical Education; Obesity; Physical Activities; Prevention; Lunch Programs; Nutrition; School Role; Health Promotion; Child Health; Breakfast Programs; Low Income Groups; Food; State Standards; At Risk Persons

Abstract:
Mary Story, Karen Kaphingst, and Simone French argue that U.S. schools offer many opportunities for developing obesity-prevention strategies by providing more nutritious food, offering greater opportunities for physical activity, and providing obesity-related health services. Meals at school are available both through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's school breakfast and lunch programs and through "competitive foods" sold a la carte in cafeterias, vending machines, and snack bars. School breakfasts and school lunches must meet federal nutrition standards, but competitive foods are exempt from such requirements. And budget pressures force schools to sell the popular but nutritionally poor foods a la carte. Public discomfort with the school food environment is growing. But can schools provide more healthful food options without losing money? Limited evidence shows that they can. Although federal nutrition regulations are inadequate, they permit state and local authorities to impose additional restrictions. And many are doing so. Some states limit sales of nonnutritious foods, and many large school districts restrict competitive foods. Several interventions have changed school food environments, for example, by reducing fat content of food in vending machines and making more fruits and vegetables available. Interventions are just beginning to target the availability of competitive foods. Other pressures can also compromise schools' efforts to encourage physical activity. As states use standardized tests to hold schools and students academically accountable, physical education and recess have become a lower priority. But some states are now mandating and promoting more physical activity in schools. School health services can also help address obesity by providing screening, health information, and referrals to students, especially low-income students, who are at high risk of obesity, tend to be underinsured, and may not receive health services elsewhere. (Contains 1 table and 175 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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