Environmental Factors and School Lunch Participation Among Minnesota Secondary Students in the US

Objective: This cross-sectional study explored factors associated with school lunch participation with universal free meals. Methods: Fifty-nine foodservice authorities representing 103 Minnesota secondary schools provided survey data assessing lunch participation and school factors, including location, school enrollment, school type, free/reduced eligibility, open campus policies, eating time, lunch start times, foodservice production type, and Smarter Lunchrooms techniques. Generalized estimating equation regression assessed the relation between these factors and lunch participation. Results: Mean lunch participation rates were 53% for high schools, 63% for middle schools, and 65% for Jr/Sr high schools. Compared with conventional foodservice production systems, nonconventional systems were associated with a 16 percentage point lower participation (P < 0.01). No other factors were statistically associated with lunch participation. Conclusions and Implications: Foodservice production systems may be a key overlooked factor related to meal participation. Larger-scale research is needed to clarify the impact foodservice production systems have on meal participation.