School Nutrition Programs and the Incidence of Childhood Obesity

Abstract

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Bonn is a local and virtual international research center and a place of communication between science, politics and business. IZA is an independent nonprofit organization supported by Deutsche Post World Net. The center is associated with the University of Bonn and offers a stimulating research environment through its international network, workshops and conferences, data service, project support, research visits and doctoral program. IZA engages in (i) original and internationally competitive research in all fields of labor economics, (ii) development of policy concepts, and (iii) dissemination of research results and concepts to the interested public. Terms of use: Documents in D I S C U S S I O N P A P E R S E R I E SIZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author. In light of the recent rise in childhood obesity, the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and National School Lunch Program (NSLP) have received renewed attention. Using panel data on over 13,500 primary school students, we assess the relationship between SBP and NSLP participation and (relatively) long-run measures of child weight. After documenting a positive association between SBP participation and child weight, and no association between NSLP participation and child weight, we present evidence indicating positive selection into the SBP. Allowing for even modest positive selection is sufficient to alter the results, indicating that the SBP is a valuable tool in the current battle against childhood obesity, whereas the NSLP exacerbates the current epidemic.JEL Classification: C31, H51, I18, I28

Investigating the historic long-term population health impact of the US National School Lunch Program

“…Such evidence has motivated extensive research into a link between school-based child nutrition programmes and child overweight and obesity, which has yielded mixed conclusions (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14) . Notably, two recent studies (using the same data set, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study) applied advanced econometric techniques to longitudinal, individual-level observational data and both concluded that school lunches contributed to increased student weight between kindergarten and grade 5 (13,14) .…”

“…In 2004-5, a nationwide assessment commissioned by the USDA estimated that just 4-7 % of schools complied with all NSLP nutrition standards (6) . In 2009-10, a subsequent assessment indicated overall nutrition improvements; however, under half of elementary schools and less than one-quarter of secondary schools at the time of the evaluation were serving lunches that would meet new energy ceilings (implemented in 2012) (7) .Such evidence has motivated extensive research into a link between school-based child nutrition programmes and child overweight and obesity, which has yielded mixed conclusions (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14) . Notably, two recent studies (using the same data set, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study) applied advanced econometric techniques to longitudinal, individual-level observational data and both concluded that school lunches contributed to increased student weight between kindergarten and grade 5 (13,14) .…”

“…Notably, two recent studies (using the same data set, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study) applied advanced econometric techniques to longitudinal, individual-level observational data and both concluded that school lunches contributed to increased student weight between kindergarten and grade 5 (13,14) . A third study examined only low-income children in the same data set and reported significantly greater BMI rate of change among girls, but not boys, participating in the NSLP compared with non-participants from kindergarten to 8th grade, although no significant difference in girls' mean BMI (15) .…”

Partial identification of the long-run causal effect of food security on child health

“…Gundersen and Kreider (2011) …nd a bene…cial, causal e¤ect of SNAP participation on food security after accounting for non-random selection and measurement error in reports of both SNAP participation and food insecurity. Schanzenbach (2009) and Millimet et al (2010) …nd a detrimental, causal e¤ect of NSLP participation on child obesity. Millimet et al (2010Millimet et al ( , 2012) obtain a bene…cial, causal e¤ect of SBP participation on child obesity.…”

“…Schanzenbach (2009) and Millimet et al (2010) …nd a detrimental, causal e¤ect of NSLP participation on child obesity. Millimet et al (2010Millimet et al ( , 2012) obtain a bene…cial, causal e¤ect of SBP participation on child obesity. Private food assistance programs administered through the nationwide network of Feeding America are additional sources of food assistance for families (Fiese et al 2011).…”