A higher number of school meals is associated with a less-processed diet

Objective: To compare the participation of food groups - fresh and minimally processed, processed, and ultra-processed - in the diet of students (n=1357) from Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil, in accordance with the number of school meals consumed daily.

Methods: Four groups were defined: children that did not consume school meals and children that consumed one, two, or three school meals daily. Food groups participation, in g/1000kcal, was obtained using two 24-hour recalls. Three linear regression models were analyzed, in which the consumption of each of the food groups was the dependent variable, the number of school meals was the independent variable, and sociodemographic data (gender, age, health vulnerability) and overweight condition were the control variables.

Results: Children that consumed 2 or 3 school meals daily showed, respectively, 7.3% and 10.5% higher ingestion of fresh and minimally processed food in comparison to children that did not consume school meals. Moreover, ultra-processed food participation was 18.0% lower among students that consumed two school meals and 26.0% lower among children that consumed three meals daily, in comparison to students that did not consume school meals.

Conclusion: The study showed a possible dose-response effect in children's daily diets with two or three school meals and highlighted the relevance of the prolonged stay at school for healthy eating promotion in children.