Do socioeconomic determinants influence school menus?

Abstract

Introduction: the components of school menus is an important area in health strategies. Objectives: the aim of this study was to analyse differences in adherence to recommended food frequencies and other characteristics of school meals in educational centres according to the type of school and neighbourhood income. Method: schools in the city of Barcelona with a lunch service were offered a three-year review. In the three academic years, 341 schools participated: 175 were public and 165 were private. To identify any differences, the Pearson Chi-squared test or Fisher exact test were used, as appropriate. Statistical analyses were performed with the STATA SE/15 programme. Results: no statistically significant differences were found by the socioeconomic level of the school neighbourhood. Private and subsidised schools showed lower adherence to recommendations on pasta (11.1 %), red and processed meat (24.7 %), total meat (7.4 %) and fresh fruit (12.1 %), and lower use of the recommended cooking oil (13.1 %). In contrast, public schools showed lower adherence to the recommended type of frying oil (16.9 %). Conclusions: in private and subsidised schools, improvements should be recommended on the frequency of intake of certain foods. Future studies should examine the causes of lower adherence to certain recommendations in these centres.