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Longer lunch periods lead to healthier choices from children
Elementary and middle school students are more likely to eat healthier and eat more of their meal when allotted at least 25 minutes for lunch, according to research in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
In a school-based, randomized controlled trial conducted over 6 nonconsecutive days of the 2011-2012 school year, researchers found that providing more time for children to eat at lunch meant the children made healthier food choices and limited their food waste.
“Policies that enable students to have at least 25 minutes of seated time might lead to improvements in students’ diets and decrease plate waste in school cafeterias,” Juliana F. W. Cohen, ScD, ScM, assistant professor at Merrimack College in Massachusetts and an adjunct assistant professor at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a press release. “These findings provide evidence that policies at the district, state or national level may be warranted to ensure all children have sufficient time to eat their meals in schools.”
In the MEALS study, a collaboration between the nonprofit organization Project Bread and the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, researchers found that 44% of children would select a fruit during a 20-minute lunch period, while 57% of children would select fruit in a 25-minute lunch period.
Children with less than 20 minutes to eat lunch consumed 13% less of their entrees, the researchers found, as well as 10% less milk and 12% less vegetables when compared with students who had at least 25 minutes to eat their lunch.
“Policies that improve the school food environment can have important public health implications in addressing the growing socioeconomic disparities in the prevalence of obesity and in improving the overall nutrient quality of children’s diets,” Cohen said in a statement. “This research suggests that enabling students to have sufficient time to eat their meals can help address this important issue.”
Researchers also observed that many students spend considerable time traveling to the cafeteria and waiting in line to get lunch. After taking this into account, some children in the study had as little as 10 minutes to eat their lunch, the researcher noted.
“Although not all schools will be able to accommodate longer lunch periods, several other factors have been cited as areas where schools can improve the amount of time students have to eat,” Cohen said. “Increasing the number of serving lines, more efficient cashiers and/or an automated point of sale system can all lead to enhanced efficiency for students going through lunch lines.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.