Parental Reports of Lunch-Packing Behaviours Lack Accuracy: Reported Barriers and Facilitators to Packing School Lunches

Hawthorne, Dana L; Neilson, Lisa J.; Macaskill, Lesley A.; Luk, Jonathan M H; Horner, Erica J; Parks, Colleen A; Salvadori, M; Seabrook, Jamie A.; Dworatzek, Paula D.N.

doi:10.3148/cjdpr-2018-011

Cited by 16 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…25 Although parents value the importance of packing a healthy school lunch for their children, it is evident parents do not have total control over what is included, as children substantially influence the school lunch food selection and packing process. 15,19,22 Unfortunately, the barriers parents encounter may supersede parental attitudes and hinder the translation of their healthy values into behaviors. 22 Our review identified several barriers that parents encounter when packing healthy food for their children-most prominently the school environment, children's influence, cost, and convenience.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…15,20,21 Furthermore, parents reported receiving requests from their children to alter the lunchbox contents, 21 decrease portion sizes, 19 and exclude fruit 19 so children could eat quickly and go out to play. School food regulations such as allergy policies and healthy eating rules influenced parental lunchpacking decisions [20][21][22][23] ; however, many parents felt that ultimately the decision to pack certain foods was their own, and routinely defied school food rules. 20,21,23 Lastly, food safety concerns prevented parents from putting healthier items into the lunchbox 19,22 as parents preferred to pack pre-packaged, temperature stable foods because refrigeration was not available to students.…”

Section: School Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another recurring theme in the literature was parents emphasizing the importance of packing foods that would sustain and nourish their children. 19,[21][22][23] Many parents were concerned about the nutritional value of their child's packed lunch and the impact it would have on health. 19,22,23 Additionally, parents highlighted the importance of providing, or attempting to provide, foods that fueled mental and physical energy so their children could concentrate throughout the school day and participate in extra-curricular activities.…”

Section: Food As Fuelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Parents indicated that the time it takes to prepare, as well as the ease of packing certain foods, determined if those foods were included in their child's lunchbox. 22,24 Moreover, parents appreciated the convenience of prepackaged foods due to their quick preparation time and how well those foods fit into the lunchbox. 19 In addition, parents viewed preparing fruit and vegetables as inconvenient, 15,19 and as a result, rarely included them in children's school lunches.…”

Section: Conveniencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite attempting to provide nutritious lunches for their children, parents most often accommodated children's preferences as they would rather their children eat unhealthy food than nothing at all. 22,23 For example, some parents did not pack fruits and vegetables as their children refused to eat those foods. 15 Being mindful of children's preferences while trying to provide a healthy meal often resulted in parents checking the lunchbox at the end of each day to assess what was eaten and adjusting the contents accordingly.…”

Section: Child's Influencementioning

confidence: 99%

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What's for Lunch? Investigating the Experiences, Perceptions, and Habits of Parents and School Lunches: A Scoping Review

O'Rourke¹,

Shwed

Bruner

et al. 2020

Journal of School Health

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BACKGROUND Research indicates home‐packed school lunches are lower in nutritional value compared with school‐provided meals. Due to the lack of a school lunch program, most of what Canadian children consume during the school day is determined by parents and caregivers through packed lunches. Despite this, little research has focused on the school lunch packing habits and attitudes of parents. The purpose of this scoping review was to improve understanding of parental perceptions, experiences, and habits with respect to home‐packed school lunches. METHODS We conducted a scoping review of peer‐reviewed and gray literature. We reviewed only studies published from January 2000 to January 2019 with a focus on parents' lunch packing habits for their school‐aged children. RESULTS The review included 7 studies, with articles from the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. The studies identified 6 themes influencing parental decisions regarding what to pack in their child's lunch—school environment, food as fuel, convenience, child's influence, cost, and the lunch experience. CONCLUSIONS The decisions that influence what is packed in a school lunch are complex and indicate the need for support. Parents, schools, districts, and government policymakers need to work collaboratively to improve the healthiness of home‐packed school lunches.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: School Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Food As Fuelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conveniencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Child's Influencementioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

What's for Lunch? Investigating the Experiences, Perceptions, and Habits of Parents and School Lunches: A Scoping Review

O'Rourke¹,

Shwed

Bruner

et al. 2020

Journal of School Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Prevention and management of allergic reactions to food in child care centers and schools: Practice guidelines

Waserman

Cruickshank

Hildebrand

et al. 2021

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

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Lunch on School Days in Canada: Examining Contributions to Nutrient and Food Group Intake and Differences across Eating Locations

Tugault-Lafleur¹,

Black²

2020

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

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Background Recent federal proposals in Canada have called for changes in the delivery and funding of school lunches. Yet little evidence has documented the nutritional quality of meals eaten by school children, which is needed to inform school lunch reforms. Objectives To assess the dietary contributions of lunch foods to daily food and nutrient intakes on school days and compare dietary intakes across eating locations (school, home, and off campus). Design Cross-sectional analyses of school day data from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey-Nutrition. Participants/setting Children aged 6 to 17 years who completed a 24-hour dietary recall falling on a school day in 2015 (n¼2,540). Main outcome measures Mean percent of daily intakes of energy, food groups, and nutrients contributed by foods reported at lunch and energy-adjusted intakes of nutrients and food groups consumed during the lunch meal. Statistical analyses Descriptive statistics were used to assess the percent of daily energy, nutrients, and food groups contributed by lunch foods. Multivariable linear regression models examined differences in dietary outcomes across eating locations for the full sample and stratified by age group, with separate models for children aged 6 to 13 and 14 to 17 years. Results On average, foods reported at lunch provided w26% of daily calories on school days. Relative to energy, lunch foods provided lower contributions of dark green and orange vegetables, whole fruit, fruit juice, whole grains, milk and alternatives, fluid milk; minimally nutritious foods including sugar-sweetened beverages; and several related nutrients including total sugars; vitamins A, D, B-6, and B-12; riboflavin; and calcium. Yet, lunch foods provided proportionally higher contributions of grain products, nonewhole grains, meat and alternatives, and sodium. Children aged 14 to 17 years who ate lunch at school reported higher intakes of total vegetables and fruit, whole fruit, whole grains, fiber, vitamin C, and magnesium but reported fewer calories from sugar-sweetened beverages compared with their peers who ate lunch off campus. Conclusions Relative to its contribution to energy, lunch on school days contributed to proportionally lower intakes of many healthful foods such as dark green and orange vegetables, whole fruit, whole grains, and fluid milk but also proportionally lower intakes of other high-fat and high-sugar foods including sugar-sweetened beverages. This study adds to the growing body of evidence on dietary concerns during school time for Canadian children and highlights particular nutritional challenges for adolescents consuming lunch off campus.

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Parental Reports of Lunch-Packing Behaviours Lack Accuracy: Reported Barriers and Facilitators to Packing School Lunches

Abstract: Strategies to improve packed lunches should move beyond parental nutrition knowledge and importance of lunch packing to address parental barriers and facilitators.

Cited by 16 publications

References 24 publications

What's for Lunch? Investigating the Experiences, Perceptions, and Habits of Parents and School Lunches: A Scoping Review

What's for Lunch? Investigating the Experiences, Perceptions, and Habits of Parents and School Lunches: A Scoping Review

Prevention and management of allergic reactions to food in child care centers and schools: Practice guidelines

Lunch on School Days in Canada: Examining Contributions to Nutrient and Food Group Intake and Differences across Eating Locations

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