A recent JAMA Network Open study examines the impact of universal free school meal (UFSM) programs on student and school outcomes in the United States. Study: Universal Free School Meals and School and Student Outcomes: A Systematic Review . Image Credit: Robert Kneschke / Shutterstock.
com The UFSM program in the United States In 2022, the White House National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health was launched with the goal of improving healthy eating patterns, increasing physical activity levels, and ending hunger in America by 2030. Since 2013, the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) has reimbursed eligible schools to serve free meals to their students. In the 2022-2023 school year, 19.
9 million children had access to UFSMs through the implementation of CEP in 82% of eligible schools. The following school year, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, and Vermont began to offer UFSMs to all schools, regardless of their CEP eligibility. The expansion of UFSMs to all students, regardless of income status, remains contentious among politicians due to the increased costs associated with this program.
Thus, a high-quality systematic review (SR) is needed to examine the association between UFSMs and various student- and school-level outcomes. About the study Previous SRs on UFSMs have considered available international and cross-sectional evidence. Comparatively, the present SR evaluates longitudinal evidence on the associations b.