Plank Kaela, Hewawitharana Sridharshi, Talmage Evan, Rauzon Suzanne, Woodward-Lopez Gail
Nutrition Policy Institute, University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, 1111 Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 94607, United States.
Prev Med Rep. 2022 Apr 20;28:101794. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101794. eCollection 2022 Aug.
The National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs are a nutrition safety net for millions of children in the United States, particularly children in households with lower incomes. During Spring 2020 COVID-19 school closures, schools served school meals through the Summer Meal Programs. Despite efforts to increase access, meal participation declined and food insecurity increased. We aimed to (1) describe meal program features as communicated in low-income California school districts' on-line resources (2) examine associations between meal program features and change in meal participation between May 2019 and May 2020 and (3) evaluate equity by describing meal site coverage and placement relative to the size of priority populations. Data from district online resources and meal reimbursement claims were collected for a stratified, random sample of 190 CalFresh Healthy Living-eligible districts. Linear regression was used to examine associations between district meal program features and percent change in meal participation. Meal site location and density were examined in relation to the size of priority populations. In May 2020, compared to May 2019, total meals served decreased by a median 46%. There were gaps in the information provided in district online resources and low variation in measured district meal program features. These features explained little of the variation in the percent change in meal participation. A greater proportion of meal sites were placed in areas with larger priority populations, yet the density of sites was not proportionate to the priority populations' sizes. Findings show actionable areas for improving meal access during school closures.
美国国家学校午餐计划和学校早餐计划是数百万美国儿童，尤其是低收入家庭儿童的营养安全网。在2020年春季因新冠疫情学校关闭期间，学校通过暑期膳食计划提供学校餐食。尽管努力增加获取机会，但膳食参与率下降，粮食不安全状况加剧。我们旨在：（1）描述加利福尼亚州低收入学区在线资源中传达的膳食计划特征；（2）研究膳食计划特征与2019年5月至2020年5月期间膳食参与变化之间的关联；（3）通过描述膳食供应点覆盖范围以及相对于优先人群规模的布局来评估公平性。从190个符合“加州新鲜健康生活”条件的学区中分层随机抽取样本，收集学区在线资源和膳食报销申请的数据。使用线性回归来研究学区膳食计划特征与膳食参与率变化百分比之间的关联。考察膳食供应点的位置和密度与优先人群规模的关系。与2019年5月相比，2020年5月提供的膳食总数中位数下降了46%。学区在线资源提供的信息存在差距，且所测量的学区膳食计划特征变化不大。这些特征对膳食参与率变化百分比的解释作用很小。更大比例的膳食供应点位于优先人群规模较大的地区，但供应点的密度与优先人群的规模不成比例。研究结果显示了在学校关闭期间改善膳食获取的可行动领域。
