School lunch and snacking patterns among high school students: Associations with school food environment and policies

Abstract

Objectives: This study examined associations between high school students' lunch patterns and vending machine purchases and the school food environment and policies. Methods: A randomly selected sample of 1088 high school students from 20 schools completed surveys about their lunch practices and vending machine purchases. School food policies were assessed by principal and food director surveys. The number of vending machines and their hours of operation were assessed by trained research staff. Results: Students at schools with open campus policies during lunchtime were significantly more likely to eat lunch at a fast food restaurant than students at schools with closed campus policies (0.7 days/week vs. 0.2 days/week, p