Change in BMI trajectory observed for low-income elementary students following implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
MONDAY, May 9, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 may have reduced the trajectory toward obesity among low-income children, according to a study published online May 5 in JAMA Network Open<\/em>.<\/p>\n Andrea S. Richardson, Ph.D., from RAND Corporation in Pittsburgh, and colleagues evaluated whether associations between the free or reduced-price National School Lunch Program and body mass growth differed after implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The analysis included 5,958 children from low-income families eligible for the free or reduced-price lunches (household income <185 percent of the federal poverty level) who attended public schools.<\/p>\n The researchers found that before the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 implementation, grade 5 free or reduced-price National School Lunch Program participants had a higher body mass index (BMI) difference from obesity threshold than nonparticipants (\u00ce\u00b2 = 0.54; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.27 to 0.81) when adjusting for their prior BMI difference trajectory. This association was attenuated after the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 implementation (\u00ce\u00b2 = \u00e2\u0088\u00920.07; 95 percent confidence interval, \u00e2\u0088\u00920.58 to 0.45), and grade 5 associations were different across cohorts.<\/p>\n “Increasing access to school meals with more rigorous nutritional requirements that are culturally pleasing to children may be needed to achieve greater success in reducing child obesity,” the authors write.<\/p>\n