Challenges With School Meal Provisions in K-12 Public Schools: Findings From the National School COVID-19 Prevention Study.

Details

• Alternative Title:
  The Journal of School Nursing: the Official Publication of the National Association of School Nurses, 2025, v. 41, no. 6: Challenges With School Meal Provisions in K-12 Public Schools: Findings From the National School COVID-19 Prevention Study.
• Journal Article:
  The Journal of School Nursing: the Official Publication of the National Association of School Nurses
• Personal Author:
  Rose, India ; Merlo, Caitlin ; Dorleans, Cherrelle ; McConnell, Luke ; Murray, Colleen ; Pampati, Sanjana ; Lee, Sarah ; Applebaum, Margaret
• Description:
  School meals play a vital role in supporting student health. Access to school meals was disrupted during COVID-19-related school closures, impacting student nutritional intake and household food insecurity. Data from the National School COVID-19 Prevention Study Survey and school staff focus groups were used to examine challenges to school meal provision in K-12 public schools. Data were analyzed using R and MAXQDA. Survey data indicated that most schools served breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria or classroom during the 2021-2022 school year. City schools were less likely to experience challenges with receiving the foods and supplies needed for school meal programs. Qualitative data revealed that school meal participation increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, however schools encountered challenges when implementing the program including staff shortages and supply chain issues. Findings from this study can help strengthen the K-12 school meal system to equitably serve students in future public health emergencies.
• Content Notes:
  Author manuscript
• Subjects:
  • Focus Groups
  • Schools
  • Food Services
  • School Health Services
  • COVID-19
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Food Security
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Female
  More +
• Keywords:
  • COVID-19
  • food insecurity
  • K-12 students
  • mixed-methods research
  • school meals
  • school
• Source:
  The Journal of School Nursing: the Official Publication of the National Association of School Nurses, 2025, v. 41, no. 6
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1177/10598405241267020
• ISSN:
  1059-8405 ; 1546-8364
• Pubmed ID:
  39056195
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC11770378
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Pages in Document:
  719-730 (22 pdf pages)
• Volume:
  41
• Issue:
  6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/262072/cdc_262072_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 129.86 KB]
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:30ba62b0ce2b6448a97abf8c25b12e011211020c90507a86e308ff64090bbf4a08343a58c71eb755f27a83b5d230b0ad8697791d4c8e677976426f5cca5c59cd