Hot on HuffPost Parents:
Charlotte Robinson: LISTEN: How Gay And Lesbian Couples Become…
New Turnaround Teacher 'Trying To Get It Right' In Tough School
Federal School Lunches Linked to Obesity
Filed under: In The News, Research Reveals: Big Kids, Research Reveals: Tweens, Research Reveals: Teens
New research shows that kids who eat breakfast actually weigh less. Credit: Corbis
Science Daily reports that new research funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that kids who participate only in the federal government's National School Lunch Program are more likely to become overweight, but kids who participate in the federally-funded breakfast program and the lunch program are slimmer than most.
Researchers from Southern Methodist University, Georgia State University and Kuwait University looked at data on more than 13,500 elementary school students, and found that kids who eat both breakfast and lunch under the federal program weigh less than kids who only eat lunch, as well as kids who do not participate in the program at all.
The students were also interviewed in kindergarten, first and third grades, and again in later grades.
The USDA reimburses schools for a portion of their school lunch costs, and also donates surplus food items. The USDA also requires that the meals meet certain nutritional guidelines, but it does allow the schools to choose the foods it serves.
"The fact that federally-funded school lunches contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic is disconcerting, although not altogether surprising," study co-author and economist Daniel L. Millimet tells Science Daily.
Schools are allowed to serve additional items on an a la carte basis under the program, and those foods may fall outside the federal guidelines for nutrition.
"First, it is very difficult to plan healthy but inviting school lunches at a low price," Millimet tells Science Daily. "Second, given the tight budgets faced by many school districts, funding from the sales of a la carte lunch items receives high priority."
The study was published in the The Journal of Human Resources.
Related: First Lady Urges Congress to Act on School Meals
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
Research Shows Homeschooling Gives Kids an Academic Edge
In this edition of EmpowHER's "HER Week In Health" for the week of September 9, 2011 we'll learn that homeschooling your children may give them an academic edge. We'll also learn that the number of Americans who smoke is on the decline and we debunk a long-held medical belief about menopause and risk of cardiovascular death in women.
-
Know Your Child's School Nurse
Typically, by age five, our children are spending more time in school than anywhere else. We try to get to know their teachers and entrust them with their education and safety. But what if a child gets sick or injured in school? How many of us know our
-
Alternatives to Bringing Up a "LatchKey Kid"
Latchkey kids - What to do about the time between when the school bell rings, and parents get home from work. Both you and your spouse are at work, and it's time for the kids to come home from school. And there's no room in the budget for a babysitter eve
-
Soothing Tips for Back to School
Dana Points, editor in chief of Parents Magazine, joins Better to discuss some soothing tips on how to calm your kids in preparation for the new school year.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 3 of 3)
9-02-2010 @ 9:39AM
Kj said...I assume the researchers took socioeconomic status of the study participants into consideration, right? Otherwise, the only thing I get from this article is that poor kids (who are lucky to get two whole meals a day at school and probably have to actually walk to get places) are skinnier than their over-indulged counterparts (who eat more food, more often, and likely get less exercise throughout the day).
Unless someone can show that other factors were being controlled for, I don't see how we can give any merit to such an oversimplified interpretation of the results.
Reply