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Different analysis methods reveal different effect of national school lunch program on childhood obesity in the US
Author(s) -
Xue Hong,
Wang Youfa
Publication year - 2012
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.26.1_supplement.240.3
Subject(s) - national health and nutrition examination survey , medicine , environmental health , childhood obesity , obesity , added sugar , calorie , early childhood , demography , gerontology , psychology , overweight , population , developmental psychology , sociology , endocrinology
Background The impact of national school lunch program (NSLP) on the US childhood obesity epidemic is controversial, while NSLP is widely viewed critical to help school children improve dietary intake and develop lifelong healthy eating habits. Using national data, we studied the effects of NSLP on childhood obesity. Methods National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2008 data of school‐age children (5–19 y) were used in a longitudinal‐type analysis framework accounting for unobserved effects with the application of difference‐in‐differences (DID) estimator. We calculated Healthy Eating Index (HEI, USDA 2005) scores using the 24‐hour recall data to evaluate the NSLP participants’ vs non‐participants’ dietary quality. Results Our analysis indicates significant influence of unobservables on the estimates of the effects of NSLP on BMI and obesity. NSLP participation was associated with increased BMI‐Z score by 0.1(SE=0.04, p<0.01), but the effect disappeared after corrected for unobservable effects. NSLP participation was positively associated with dietary quality (beta=1.04, SE=0.4, p<0.05) and total fruit consumption (beta=0.41, SE=0.07, p<0.01). Calories from solid fat, alcohol and added sugar were not higher for NSLP participants. Conclusions Our analysis does not suggest an association between NSLP and childhood obesity. NSLP participants had a healthier diet. Grant Funding Source : NIH/NICHD (U54 HD070725 ‐01, 1R01HD064685‐01A1) and NIDDK (R01DK81335‐01A1)