TY - JOUR
T1 - School lunch and learning behaviour in primary schools
T2 - An intervention study
AU - Golley, R.
AU - Baines, E.
AU - Bassett, P.
AU - Wood, L.
AU - Pearce, J.
AU - Nelson, M.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank the staff and pupils of the Sheffield primary schools who participated in the study and all the organizations and individuals who contributed to its design and implementation: the Sheffield Healthy Schools Team, Sheffield PCT, Chartwells, Chaucer Catering, Sheffield Children and Young People’s Directorate, Sheffield local authority and the National Centre for Social Research. In addition, we thank Claire Storey and Pauline Ashfield-Watt, both of the School Food Trust for their help in revising the manuscript. This study was funded by the School Food Trust.
PY - 2010/11
Y1 - 2010/11
N2 - Background/Objectives:In addition to the nutritional benefits of healthier school food, anecdotes describe improvements in children's behaviour and educational outcomes when school food or the school dining room environment is improved. This study hypothesized that a school food and dining room intervention would improve pupils learning-related classroom behaviour.Subjects/Methods:A controlled intervention trial involving six primary schools matched in triplets and randomly assigned to a 12-week intervention (promotion of healthier school food at lunchtime and changes in the school dining environment) or 12-week wait-listed control group. Study outcome was learning-related behaviours measured in a random sample of 146 pupils in years 3-5.Results:On-task and off-task behaviours were observed and used as proxy measures for concentration and disengagement (disruption), respectively. Teacher-pupil on-task engagement was 3.4 times more likely in the intervention schools compared with the control schools (adjusted model odds ratio (OR)3.40 (95% confidence interval (CI)1.56, 7.36), P < 0.009). However, on-task pupil-pupil behaviour was less likely in the intervention group (adjusted model OR0.45 (95% CI0.28, 0.70), P < 0.001). Similarly, off-task pupil-pupil behaviour was more likely in the intervention group than in the control group in both the unadjusted model (OR2.18 (95% CI1.52, 3.13), P0.001) and the adjusted model (OR2.28 (95% CI1.25, 4.17), P0.007).Conclusions:This study offers some support for the hypothesis that a school food and dining room intervention can have a positive impact on pupils alertness. However, if raised alertness is not channelled and supervised, it may result in increased off-task behaviour when pupils are working together.
AB - Background/Objectives:In addition to the nutritional benefits of healthier school food, anecdotes describe improvements in children's behaviour and educational outcomes when school food or the school dining room environment is improved. This study hypothesized that a school food and dining room intervention would improve pupils learning-related classroom behaviour.Subjects/Methods:A controlled intervention trial involving six primary schools matched in triplets and randomly assigned to a 12-week intervention (promotion of healthier school food at lunchtime and changes in the school dining environment) or 12-week wait-listed control group. Study outcome was learning-related behaviours measured in a random sample of 146 pupils in years 3-5.Results:On-task and off-task behaviours were observed and used as proxy measures for concentration and disengagement (disruption), respectively. Teacher-pupil on-task engagement was 3.4 times more likely in the intervention schools compared with the control schools (adjusted model odds ratio (OR)3.40 (95% confidence interval (CI)1.56, 7.36), P < 0.009). However, on-task pupil-pupil behaviour was less likely in the intervention group (adjusted model OR0.45 (95% CI0.28, 0.70), P < 0.001). Similarly, off-task pupil-pupil behaviour was more likely in the intervention group than in the control group in both the unadjusted model (OR2.18 (95% CI1.52, 3.13), P0.001) and the adjusted model (OR2.28 (95% CI1.25, 4.17), P0.007).Conclusions:This study offers some support for the hypothesis that a school food and dining room intervention can have a positive impact on pupils alertness. However, if raised alertness is not channelled and supervised, it may result in increased off-task behaviour when pupils are working together.
KW - UK
KW - behaviour
KW - intervention study
KW - learning
KW - primary school
KW - school lunch
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78149281126&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/ejcn.2010.150
DO - 10.1038/ejcn.2010.150
M3 - Article
C2 - 20808337
AN - SCOPUS:78149281126
SN - 0954-3007
VL - 64
SP - 1280
EP - 1288
JO - European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
JF - European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
IS - 11
ER -