| Popis: |
The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of fifth and sixth students and their parents regarding the lunches served under the revised guidelines for the National School Lunch Program. The goal of the new guidelines is to increase whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat/fat-free dairy in students daily diets (USDA, 2013c). Parents play an important role in eating behaviors and deciding whether or not the students purchase school lunch. There are few qualitative studies examining the perceptions of students and parents regarding the meals served under the National School Lunch Program along with healthy eating.The participants in this study were 45 fifth and sixth students along with 900 fifth and sixth grade parents. The students took part in focus groups and taste tests and the parents completed an online questionnaire. Themes emerged from the qualitative data from the student focus groups and parent questionnaire. The quantitative data from the parent questionnaire was analyzed for means, standard deviations and frequencies. The results revealed that students and parents are satisfied overall with the lunches provided and lack awareness of the changes that have been made to the school lunches. |
