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ERIC Number: EJ1473252
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 13
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-1559-5676
Available Date: 0000-00-00
An Egg-Based, Universally-Free 'Breakfast in the Classroom' Program Increases School Breakfast Participation and Improves Diet Quality in Middle-School Adolescents: A Feasibility, Pilot Study
Heather J. Leidy; Steve M. Douglas; Kathy A. Greaves
Journal of Child Nutrition & Management, v49 n1 2025
Breakfast skipping in young people has been strongly associated with reduced cognitive performance and school grades, attendance and disciplinary concerns, reduced health and well-being, and an increased risk of obesity. The school breakfast program (SBP) was implemented to improve nutrition and diet quality for all school-aged children and teens. Several states have moved towards a "Universally-Free" (UF) school breakfast system to remove the cost barrier of school breakfast participation and to potentially reduce the social stigma associated with eating breakfast at school. Another program, "Breakfast in the Classroom" (BIC), serves breakfast either at conveniently located school hallway kiosks or directly in the students' classrooms. In July 2024, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) updated school meal requirements to allow schools to substitute grains for meat/meat alternatives, including eggs, as part of the school breakfast meal as there are proven benefits associated with increased dietary protein at breakfast. This quasi-experimental pilot study was completed on adolescents from an urban middle school containing a high prevalence of low-income households at risk of food insecurity in order to explore if a novel, egg-based UF-BIC program increases school breakfast participation, consumption, and diet quality. Student perceptions of breakfast were assessed using a questionnaire and snacking was assessed using a modified food frequency questionnaire to determine the frequency and types of snacks consumed over the past week. Findings revealed that implementing the program increased school breakfast participation and breakfast consumption of nutrient-dense foods while decreasing afternoon snacking. Collectively, these data suggest that a free, egg-based school breakfast eaten in the classroom setting is feasible, accepted by middle schoolers, and may improve diet quality.
School Nutrition Association. 120 Waterfront Street Suite 300, National Harbor, MD 20745. Tel: 301-686-3100; Fax: 301-686-3115; e-mail: servicecenter@schoolnutrition.org; Web site: https://schoolnutrition.org/news-publications/jcnm/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Missouri (Kansas City)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A