Students’ Perspectives on the Benefits and Challenges of Universal School Meals Related to Food Accessibility, Stigma, Participation, and Waste

IF 4.6 Q2 MATERIALS SCIENCE, BIOMATERIALS
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

To reveal students’ experiences and perspectives related to Universal School Meals (USM) under the federal coronavirus disease 2019 waivers during school years 2021–22.

Design

Qualitative; 17 focus groups in June–July 2022.

Setting

Virtual; students from 9 California regions in public and charter schools.

Participants

67 students (n = 31 in high school, n = 36 in middle school) from a racially and economically diverse sample.

Phenomenon of Interest

Students’ perceived benefits and drawbacks of USM.

Analysis

Thematic analysis using an immersion-crystallization approach.

Results

Students appreciated USM for increasing school meals’ accessibility, promoting food security by financially supporting families, reducing the stigma associated with school meals, simplifying the payment system, and enhancing school meals convenience. An increase in school meal participation was observed. However, concerns emerged regarding a perceived decline in food quality and quantity and increased food waste.

Conclusions and Implications

Universal School Meals showed promise in increasing access to meals, reducing food insecurity, stigma, and increasing participation. Addressing food quality, quantity, and waste concerns is critical for its sustained success. Policymakers need to advocate for the expansion and continuous refinement of USM, prioritizing stakeholder feedback. Ensuring adequate funding to balance meal quality and quantity while minimizing waste is essential for an adequate school meal policy.

学生对普及学校膳食的益处和挑战的看法,涉及食物的可获得性、耻辱感、参与度和浪费。
目的揭示学生在 2021-22 学年期间根据 2019 年冠状病毒疾病联邦减免计划参与 "普及学校膳食"(USM)的经历和观点:设计:定性;2022 年 6-7 月,17 个焦点小组:参与者:67 名学生(n = 31 名高中生):67 名学生(高中 31 人,初中 36 人),来自不同种族和经济背景的样本:分析:分析:采用沉浸-结晶方法进行专题分析:结果:学生们认为统一膳食管理提高了学校膳食的可获得性,通过为家庭提供经济支持促进了食品安全,减少了与学校膳食相关的耻辱感,简化了支付系统,并提高了学校膳食的便利性。据观察,参与学校供餐的人数有所增加。然而,人们对食品质量和数量的下降以及食品浪费的增加表示担忧:普及学校膳食在增加就餐机会、减少食品不安全和耻辱感以及提高参与率方面显示出前景。解决食品质量、数量和浪费问题对其持续成功至关重要。政策制定者需要倡导扩大并不断完善 "全面校餐",优先考虑利益相关者的反馈意见。确保有足够的资金来平衡膳食的质量和数量,同时最大限度地减少浪费,这对制定适当的学校膳食政策至关重要。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
ACS Applied Bio Materials
ACS Applied Bio Materials Chemistry-Chemistry (all)
CiteScore
9.40
自引率
2.10%
发文量
464
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