Impact of School Meal Program on Child Nutrition and Academic Performance
Impact of School Meal Program on Nutritional Status and Academic Performance Among Primary School Children: An Interventional Study
Descripción general del estudio
Estado
Condiciones
Intervención / Tratamiento
Descripción detallada
Childhood nutrition is an important determinant of physical growth, cognitive development, and academic performance. Poor nutrition may affect children's physical health, concentration, school participation, and learning. School meal program provide an opportunity to improve children's access to nutritious food during school hours; however, there is limited evidence from Pakistan on their effects on both nutritional status and academic performance.
This study will be conducted among primary school children aged 6-11 years enrolled in Grades 1-5 in selected government primary schools in peri-urban areas of Lahore, Pakistan. The selected schools will be characterized by food insecurity, low socioeconomic status, limited access to basic facilities, and educational vulnerability. The study will use a school-based pre-post intervention design with a control group and will be conducted over 12 weeks.
Children in the intervention group will receive a school meal designed to provide approximately one-third of the daily energy requirement for school-aged children. Children in the control group will continue their usual dietary practices and regular school routine without receiving the study meal. Daily records will be maintained to monitor meal distribution and consumption among children in the intervention group, with support from teachers and school staff.
Changes in nutritional status will be assessed before and after the 12-week intervention using anthropometric measurements, including height, weight, BMI-for-age, and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC). Body composition will also be assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis to obtain indicators such as fat mass and muscle mass.
Educational outcomes will be assessed using school records, including school attendance and examination scores. Pre- and post-intervention questionnaires will collect information on dietary intake, socioeconomic background, and general health to provide additional information for interpretation of the study findings.
The primary objective of the study is to assess the impact of the school meal program on the nutritional status and academic performance of primary school children in Lahore. The study will also examine the relationship between nutritional status and academic performance.
The findings are expected to provide locally relevant evidence regarding the potential contribution of school meal program to child nutrition and educational outcomes and may support evidence-based decision-making regarding school meal programs in Pakistan.
Tipo de estudio
Inscripción (Estimado)
Fase
- No aplica
Contactos y Ubicaciones
Estudio Contacto
- Nombre: Esha, Food and Nutrition
- Número de teléfono: +923245654401
- Correo electrónico: eshashakeel.pro@gmail.com
Ubicaciones de estudio
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Punjab Province
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Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistán, 54000
- University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore
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Contacto:
- University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Food and Nutrition
- Número de teléfono: +92-42-99211374
- Correo electrónico: webmaster@uvas.edu.pk
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Criterios de participación
Criterio de elegibilidad
Edades elegibles para estudiar
- Niño
Acepta Voluntarios Saludables
Descripción
Inclusion Criteria:
- Children aged 6-11 years (Grades 1-5).
- Children enrolled in the selected government primary schools.
- Children present on the day of data collection.
- Parental or guardian consent obtained.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Children with chronic illness affecting growth.
- Students absent during data collection.
- Refusal of consent by parents or guardians.
Plan de estudios
¿Cómo está diseñado el estudio?
Detalles de diseño
- Propósito principal: Prevención
- Asignación: No aleatorizado
- Modelo Intervencionista: Asignación paralela
- Enmascaramiento: Ninguno (etiqueta abierta)
Armas e Intervenciones
Grupo de participantes/brazo |
Intervención / Tratamiento |
|---|---|
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Experimental: School Meal Intervention Group
Children receiving the school meal program daily for 12 weeks in addition to their usual school routine
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A daily school meal will be provided to primary school children for 12 weeks as part of a school meal program.
The meal is designed to provide approximately one-third of the children's daily energy requirements and will be provided during the school day.
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Sin intervención: Control Group
Children continuing their usual school routine without receiving the school meal program during the 12-week study period
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¿Qué mide el estudio?
Medidas de resultado primarias
Medida de resultado |
Medida Descripción |
Periodo de tiempo |
|---|---|---|
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Change in body weight (kg)
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to 12 weeks
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Change in body weight from baseline to 12 weeks among children participating in the school meal intervention compared with the control group.
Body weight will be measured in kilograms using standardized anthropometric procedures.
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Baseline to 12 weeks
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Change in body mass index (BMI, kg/m²)
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to 12 weeks
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Change in body mass index from baseline to 12 weeks among children participating in the school meal intervention compared with the control group.
BMI will be calculated from measured weight and height.
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Baseline to 12 weeks
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Change in mid-upper arm circumference
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to 12 weeks
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Baseline to 12 weeks
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Change in Dietary Diversity Score (0-10)
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to 12 weeks
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Dietary diversity will be assessed based on the number of food groups consumed during the previous 24 hours.
The score ranges from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater dietary diversity.
Scores of 0-3 indicate low dietary diversity, 4-5 indicate moderate dietary diversity, and >5 indicate high dietary diversity.
Change from baseline to post-intervention will be reported as the difference in dietary diversity score.
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Baseline to 12 weeks
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Medidas de resultado secundarias
Medida de resultado |
Medida Descripción |
Periodo de tiempo |
|---|---|---|
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Change in fat mass (kg)
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to 12 weeks
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Baseline to 12 weeks
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Change in skeletal muscle mass (kg)
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to 12 weeks
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Baseline to 12 weeks
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Change in school attendance rate (%)
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to 12 weeks
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Baseline to 12 weeks
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Number of participants reporting acute illness episodes
Periodo de tiempo: During the 12-week intervention
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Acute illness reported by participants/parents during the specified recall period.
The number and percentage of participants reporting illness will be compared between baseline and post-intervention.
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During the 12-week intervention
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Change in academic test score (%)
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to 12 weeks
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Academic performance will be assessed using the study-specific curriculum-based test.
Change from baseline to post-intervention will be reported as the difference in test scores.
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Baseline to 12 weeks
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Colaboradores e Investigadores
Publicaciones y enlaces útiles
Publicaciones Generales
- Pramesthi IL, Wiradnyani LAA, Anggraini R, Februhartanty J, Widaryat W, Waluyo BH, Wahyunto AT, Mansyur M, Fahmida U. Evaluating the Impact of Indonesia's National School Feeding Program (ProGAS) on Children's Nutrition and Learning Environment: A Mixed-Methods Approach. Nutrients. 2025 Nov 15;17(22):3575. doi: 10.3390/nu17223575.
- Destaw Z, Wencheko E, Kidane S, Endale M, Challa Y, Tiruneh M, Tamrat M, Samson H, Shaleka D, Ashenafi M. Impact of school meals on educational outcomes in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Public Health Nutr. 2022 Sep;25(9):2614-2624. doi: 10.1017/S1368980022000799. Epub 2022 Mar 28.
Fechas de registro del estudio
Fechas importantes del estudio
Inicio del estudio (Estimado)
Finalización primaria (Estimado)
Finalización del estudio (Estimado)
Fechas de registro del estudio
Enviado por primera vez
Primero enviado que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad
Publicado por primera vez (Actual)
Actualizaciones de registros de estudio
Última actualización publicada (Actual)
Última actualización enviada que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad
Última verificación
Más información
Términos relacionados con este estudio
Palabras clave
Términos MeSH relevantes adicionales
Otros números de identificación del estudio
- 455/IRC/BMR
Plan de datos de participantes individuales (IPD)
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Descripción del plan IPD
Información sobre medicamentos y dispositivos, documentos del estudio
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