Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Background: Recent research shows that the diet quality of Canadian children during school hours is poor. There is significant international evidence for the higher nutritional quality of food in school meal program lunches compared to lunches brought from home, yet very little research on school food has been conducted in the Canadian context. Objectives: To characterize the school lunches and snacks of elementary school children in Saskatoon and the surrounding rural areas. Methods: Data collection involved characterizing lunches in schools that have a meal program, those that do not have a meal program and rural schools, using a school food checklist and digital photographs. The School Food Checklist was informed by checklists used in other studies which were found to be an efficient and accurate method of obtaining dietary information in schools. Results: Our final sample size includes the lunches of 741 children in the three locations. Our preliminary results show that meal program participants have more whole grains in their lunches compared to children who bring food from home and that students not in meal programs have significantly more calories in their lunches from unhealthy foods. Final results include a comparison of the overall nutrient density of foods brought to school in the two geographic locations and served in meal programs. Conclusions: Overall food provided in meal programs appears to be more nutritious than food brought from home. Elementary school children benefit from meal programs. Describe how this research demonstrates innovation: This is the largest known study to date in Canada characterizing what elementary school children are eating at school in rural and urban contexts. Describe how this research informs change to future public health research, policy development and/or practice: This research will be used to inform school nutrition policy and research examining the impacts of a universal school lunch program.