A scoping review of interventions aiming to improve food security for low-income families with school-aged children outside of school hours.

Abstract

Food insecurity is a global issue. The objective is to summarise the literature identifying the main outcomes related to out-of-school hours interventions that provide food for low-income families with school-aged children, how they impact school-aged children and their families, and to identify gaps in knowledge. This review covered the main types and dimensions proposed in the literature. One author independently selected the studies, and an independent reviewer randomly reviewed them. Any paper meeting the inclusion criteria was considered regardless of geographical location. Papers were predominantly from the US, UK and Australia, including school-aged children from low-income families. Ninety-four articles were included relating to holiday clubs (n = 38), breakfast clubs (n = 45) and after-school clubs (n = 11). Key outcomes were healthy eating, academic, social, physical activity, nutritional education and financial outcomes. Clubs were consistent regarding the positive social and financial outcomes. There was variation in the primary aim, either to improve healthy eating or to feed children, regardless of nutritional quality. None of the studies reported children's health outcomes. This review identified the key outcomes of interventions for low-income families outside of school hours in the literature. It highlights the consistent positive social outcomes across the three intervention types and the discrepancy in the nutritional value of the food provided. Few studies examined the attainment impact of holiday clubs, with no evidence on how they could impact term-time attendance. This highlights the need to analyse secondary data to understand further the attainment and attendance impact on children attending these interventions over time.