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School Meal Participation and Obesity Among Children
Author(s) -
Gleason Philip Michael
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.877.7
Subject(s) - socioeconomic status , obesity , environmental health , confounding , body mass index , meal , childhood obesity , medicine , multivariate statistics , multivariate analysis , demography , gerontology , psychology , overweight , population , mathematics , statistics , endocrinology , pathology , sociology
Understanding the role of school meal program participation in children's risk of obesity is critical to improving the weight status of America's children. The most complete and up‐to‐date data to address these issues is from the nationally representative data collected in the 2005 third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study (SNDA‐III). In this study, we will use SNDA‐III data to examine whether participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP) affects children's body mass index (BMI) or risk of obesity. This relationship will be estimated through multivariate analysis, with a wide range of variables controlling for confounding factors, including demographic and socioeconomic factors, physical activity, and parents’ perceptions of their child's dietary habits. To test the sensitivity of the results, we also estimate a propensity score model and instrumental variables model. Finally, we examine potential explanations for any observed effects of program participation on BMI, including children's overall food energy intake, intake of macronutrients such as fat and cholesterol, and patterns of food consumption over the course of a day.