Using Photovoice to Examine Parent Perception of Quality, Appeal, and Healthful
ness of School Meals in California’s San Joaquin Valley
School-based nutrition programs are crucial to reducing food insecurity, which is associated with adverse health effects in children. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted students’ school meal participation.
Read the full study here.
As parents’ perceptions of school meals is related to student participation, it is important to understand parent views of school meals.
Goals
The goals of this study are to:
Gain insight into parents’ perspectives on quality, appeal, and healthfulness of school meals in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) region of California during the pandemic.
Work with community partners to disseminate findings to key stakeholders and to support families to advocate for change in school-based meal programs in their local districts.
evaluation Methods
Parent participants from 7 SJV school districts used a protocol to photograph school meals received during a one-week period.
Focus groups were conducted with parents from each district to discuss the photos and their perceptions of school meals.
Focus group transcripts were translated, transcribed, and analyzed with a codebook to extract themes using an iterative approach.
Study status
Focus groups completed; analysis in progress
Policy Implications
With the passage of SB-364 (beginning 2022-23 school year), California became the first state in the nation to offer free school meals daily to all children regardless of income. Our study suggests that the impact of this landmark policy could be limited by low participation rates in school meal programs due to parents' perceptions of school meals as being of poor quality and unhealthy.
Improving the appeal of school meals and placing limits on added sugar could help optimize participation in the universal school meal program, thereby reducing food insecurity and promoting child health.
FunderS
No Kid Hungry, Stanford Pediatrics Resident Research Grant, and Stanford Children’s Health Community Benefits Grant
