Impacts of school feeding on educational and health outcomes of school-age children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Dongqing Wang; Wafaie W Fawzi

doi:10.1186/s13643-020-01317-6

Impacts of school feeding on educational and health outcomes of school-age children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Syst Rev. 2020 Mar 16;9(1):55. doi: 10.1186/s13643-020-01317-6.

Authors

Dongqing Wang¹, Wafaie W Fawzi^{2

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, 90 Smith Street, 310 WS-5, Boston, MA, 02120, USA. [email protected].
² Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, 90 Smith Street, 310 WS-5, Boston, MA, 02120, USA.
³ Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
⁴ Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.

Abstract

Background: School feeding programs are beneficial for the physical, mental, and psychosocial development of school-age children and adolescents, particularly those in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). While school feeding programs are ubiquitous in LMICs, the specific benefits of school feeding programs are unclear. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the impacts of school feeding programs on the educational and health outcomes of children and adolescents in LMICs.

Methods: Rigorously designed interventional studies on the impacts of school feeding on nutritional and health outcomes of children and adolescents receiving primary or secondary education in LMICs will be included. The following information sources were used to identify relevant published or unpublished studies: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, and governmental or organizational websites. The risk of bias of randomized and non-randomized studies will be assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and the ROBINS-I tool, respectively. Two reviewers will independently conduct the selection of studies, data extraction, and assessment of the risk of bias. A narrative synthesis of all the included studies will be provided. Meta-analyses will be performed whenever appropriate. Heterogeneity of effects will be assessed by I², subgroup analyses, and meta-regression. The certainty of evidence for each outcome will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

Discussion: The design and implementation of school feeding programs in LMICs should be based on the understanding of the benefits of such programs. This work will provide a crucial evidence base for the educational and health benefits of school feeding on children and adolescents in LMICs.

Systematic review registration: This protocol was submitted for registration with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) on November 18, 2019 (registration number: pending).

Keywords: Adolescents; Children; Controlled before-after studies; Low- and middle-income countries; Meta-analysis; Nutrition; Randomized controlled trials; School feeding; School meal; Systematic review.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Child
Developing Countries*
Educational Status
Humans
Meta-Analysis as Topic
Outcome Assessment, Health Care
Poverty*
Schools
Systematic Reviews as Topic