ERIC Number: EJ1147401
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Aug
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-4391
EISSN: N/A
Successes and Challenges in School Meal Reform: Qualitative Insights from Food Service Directors
Asada, Yuka; Ziemann, Margaret; Zatz, Lara; Chriqui, Jamie
Journal of School Health, v87 n8 p608-615 Aug 2017
Background: The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) directed the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to revise school meal standards to increase healthy food offerings. A critical stakeholder in the implementation of standards is Food Service Directors (FSDs). We sought to examine FSDs' perspectives on revised school meal standards to gain insight into successful implementation strategies. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with FSDs (N = 9) from high schools that had achieved HealthierUS Schools Challenge: Smarter Lunchrooms (HUSSC: SL) status. Qualitative interview data were team coded in Atlas.ti v7 and analyzed with principles of constant comparative analysis. Results: FSDs reported overall positive perceptions of the revised school meal standards and its potential impacts, as well as improved fruit and vegetable consumption, despite initial challenges with plate waste, procurement of whole grain-rich products, and fast paced sodium targets. Implementation was described as complex, ongoing processes; with time and in-service trainings, student acceptance to these changes improved. Conclusions: These findings are directly relevant to future reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act and to revisions to the implementation time line for the federal school meal standards related to sodium, whole grains, and flavored milk. Insights into FSDs' strategies suggest that more time and targeted technical assistance at federal, state, and local levels is warranted.
Descriptors: Qualitative Research, Semi Structured Interviews, Food, Grounded Theory, Standards, High School Students, Computer Software, Positive Attitudes, Student Attitudes, Eating Habits, Health Behavior, Breakfast Programs, Children, Federal Legislation, Nutrition, Federal Programs, Lunch Programs, Health Promotion, Elementary Secondary Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education; Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: US Department of Agriculture
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Child Nutrition Act 1966
Grant or Contract Numbers: USDAFNSOPSSWP15IL01