School Meals Are Evolving: Has the Evidence Kept Up?
School meal programs are popular social programs. They are provided to 61 percent of primary students in high-income countries but to a smaller share of students in less wealthy countries.
School meal programs are popular social programs. They are provided to 61 percent of primary students in high-income countries but to a smaller share of students in less wealthy countries.
There is limited experimental evidence of the impact of large-scale, government-led school meals programs on educational achievements. The authors report results from a nationwide randomized trial of the Government of Ghana’s school feeding program.
BACKGROUND: School feeding interventions are implemented in nearly every country in the world, with the potential to support the education, health and nutrition of school children.
Our objectives for this study were to provide updated, realistic data on the costs and cost-outcomes of school feeding in Low and Middle Income Countries. We also aimed to identify factors that may influence effectiveness and therefore, cost effectiveness of the interventions.
The purpose of this paper is to provide an up-to-date literature review on school feeding and the potential impact on nutrition, including school age children, pre-school and adolescent girls.