Universal-Free School Memory Study

Psychologists and academics evaluated the impact of universal-free school breakfast programs (USBPs) on student “nutrient intake and academic and psychosocial functioning” in the 2002 study, “Diet, Breakfast, and Academic Performance in Children.” (Kleinman et al., 2002) In a previous study, the same research team demonstrated that childhood hunger had a causal link to increased school absenteeism, decreased grade point averages, and increased psychological dysfunction rates. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to determine if the implementation of a USBP could reduce these symptoms. After conducting pre-screening parental interviews, researchers selected 99 volunteer third-through-six grade inner city Boston Public School District students as participants. At the onset, individuals reporting scores ≥ 2 on Child Hunger Index Child Report surveys were labeled “hungry.” (Kleinman et al., 2002) Participants used a “validated 24-hour dietary recall method using standardized graduated food models” at the start and conclusion of the six-month study. (Kleinman et al., 2002) Students who consumed ≤ 50% of the recommended daily energy intake allowance were deemed nutritionally at-risk, as were …show more content…
Overall, 44 students reported greater breakfast consumption rates and 14 claimed greater nutrient intake. Before the study, at-risk and non-at-risk students demonstrated a “statistically significant (F = 3.7, d.f. = 1, p < 0.05)” difference in days absent, at 11.5 and 6.5, respectively. (Kleinman et al., 2002) Subsequently, students who improved their nutrient intake saw absenteeism reduced by 4.4 days. While researchers monitored reading, social studies, science, and math scores, only mathematics experienced “significantly related to changes in nutrient intake (F = 3.3, d.f. = 2, p < 0.05)” (Kleinman et al.,