Understanding Perceptions of School Administrators Related to School Breakfast in a Low School Breakfast Participation State

Natoshia M. Askelson; Elizabeth H. Golembiewski; Ann Bobst; Patti J. Delger; Carrie A. Scheidel

doi:10.1111/josh.12511

Understanding Perceptions of School Administrators Related to School Breakfast in a Low School Breakfast Participation State

Natoshia M. Askelson
, Elizabeth H. Golembiewski
, Ann Bobst
, Patti J. Delger
, Carrie A. Scheidel

Health Policy and Management

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The National School Breakfast Program (SBP) is a federally funded program that allows states to offer nutritious breakfast to K-12 students. However, rates of SBP participation are low in some rural states, and the reasons are not well understood. The purpose of the study was to explore administrators' perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs related to the SBP, and factors they identify as barriers or facilitators to increased participation. METHODS: Data were collected from a cross-sectional, online survey of K-12 school administrators (N = 152) in a rural, midsized Midwestern state fielded over an academic year. Descriptive statistics were calculated and open-ended questions were coded and analyzed for relevant themes. RESULTS: Administrators identified busing schedules, time constraints, and a lack of flexibility within the school schedule to accommodate breakfast as primary structural barriers to SBP participation. Administrators described family-centered norms as reasons for low participation in rural areas. Administrators are at varying stages of readiness to work on improving participation. CONCLUSIONS: Low SBP participation can be explained in part by a convergence of factors related to access, community norms, and structural barriers. Results may be used to inform ways in which administrators at the state, district, and school level can work to increase participation.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	427-434
Number of pages	8
Journal	Journal of School Health
Volume	87
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12511
State	Published - Jun 2017

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The National School Breakfast Program (SBP) is a powerful tool with the potential to address a range of challenges facing educators and parents today. The SBP, which is overseen by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, provides states with financial assistance to offer nonprofit breakfast programs in schools if federal operating and nutritional guidelines are met. School breakfast is an important source of daily nutrition for many children in United States. More than 14 million children participated in the SBP during FY 2015, over 11 million of whom were eligible for free or reduced-price meals, the threshold for which is a household income less than 185% of the federal poverty level. The SBP has been identified as a promising strategy in ongoing efforts to reduce the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in the United States. and has been associated with enhanced access to healthy food, improvements in school attendance, decreased hunger, and improvements in behavioral outcomes among participating students. Availability of the SBP is also associated with student academic achievement. In addition, it often provides children with a more nutritious breakfast than what is consumed outside the school. The SBP is designed to provide healthy and nutritious food for school-aged children, especially those from lower-income families. Unfortunately, despite the benefits of the SBP, participation in some rural and Midwestern states remains low. For example, most students (82.3%) in 1 rural, Midwestern state do not participate in the SBP. For every 100 children in this state who eat lunch at school using the free or reduced-cost program, only 42.1 of them are participating in the SBP. The state ranks 47th in the nation based on a poor participation ratio. Little is known about why participation in the SBP is low in some states. A limited body of research has examined participation from the student or the parent perspective, but a statewide examination of school administrator perceptions and beliefs has not been published. In addition, there are no published studies to our knowledge from states with low-ranking participation rates. The USDA and other national organizations are beginning to promote nontraditional models to increase participation. Commonly utilized nontraditional models include: breakfast in the classroom, grab-and-go, second chance breakfast, and universal free breakfast. There is some evidence that extending cafeteria hours (ie, second chance breakfast) or making a mobile cart available (ie, grab-and-go) can function to increase participation in Midwestern schools. As with any change to school policy, school and district administrators must be on board to support and successfully implement changes to the SBP. The purpose of this study was to identify administrator perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs related to the SBP and to explore barriers and potential facilitators to SBP participation and the adoption of nontraditional models in a rural, midsized Midwestern state.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, American School Health Association

Keywords

rural schools
school administrators
school breakfast

Publisher link

10.1111/josh.12511

Find It

Find It at U of M Libraries

Cite this

@article{443062d10af24293959a0f69f418b4a8,

title = "Understanding Perceptions of School Administrators Related to School Breakfast in a Low School Breakfast Participation State",

abstract = "BACKGROUND: The National School Breakfast Program (SBP) is a federally funded program that allows states to offer nutritious breakfast to K-12 students. However, rates of SBP participation are low in some rural states, and the reasons are not well understood. The purpose of the study was to explore administrators' perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs related to the SBP, and factors they identify as barriers or facilitators to increased participation. METHODS: Data were collected from a cross-sectional, online survey of K-12 school administrators (N = 152) in a rural, midsized Midwestern state fielded over an academic year. Descriptive statistics were calculated and open-ended questions were coded and analyzed for relevant themes. RESULTS: Administrators identified busing schedules, time constraints, and a lack of flexibility within the school schedule to accommodate breakfast as primary structural barriers to SBP participation. Administrators described family-centered norms as reasons for low participation in rural areas. Administrators are at varying stages of readiness to work on improving participation. CONCLUSIONS: Low SBP participation can be explained in part by a convergence of factors related to access, community norms, and structural barriers. Results may be used to inform ways in which administrators at the state, district, and school level can work to increase participation.",

keywords = "rural schools, school administrators, school breakfast",

author = "Askelson, \{Natoshia M.\} and Golembiewski, \{Elizabeth H.\} and Ann Bobst and Delger, \{Patti J.\} and Scheidel, \{Carrie A.\}",

note = "Funding Information: The National School Breakfast Program (SBP) is a powerful tool with the potential to address a range of challenges facing educators and parents today. The SBP, which is overseen by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, provides states with financial assistance to offer nonprofit breakfast programs in schools if federal operating and nutritional guidelines are met. School breakfast is an important source of daily nutrition for many children in United States. More than 14 million children participated in the SBP during FY 2015, over 11 million of whom were eligible for free or reduced-price meals, the threshold for which is a household income less than 185\% of the federal poverty level. The SBP has been identified as a promising strategy in ongoing efforts to reduce the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in the United States. and has been associated with enhanced access to healthy food, improvements in school attendance, decreased hunger, and improvements in behavioral outcomes among participating students. Availability of the SBP is also associated with student academic achievement. In addition, it often provides children with a more nutritious breakfast than what is consumed outside the school. The SBP is designed to provide healthy and nutritious food for school-aged children, especially those from lower-income families. Unfortunately, despite the benefits of the SBP, participation in some rural and Midwestern states remains low. For example, most students (82.3\%) in 1 rural, Midwestern state do not participate in the SBP. For every 100 children in this state who eat lunch at school using the free or reduced-cost program, only 42.1 of them are participating in the SBP. The state ranks 47th in the nation based on a poor participation ratio. Little is known about why participation in the SBP is low in some states. A limited body of research has examined participation from the student or the parent perspective, but a statewide examination of school administrator perceptions and beliefs has not been published. In addition, there are no published studies to our knowledge from states with low-ranking participation rates. The USDA and other national organizations are beginning to promote nontraditional models to increase participation. Commonly utilized nontraditional models include: breakfast in the classroom, grab-and-go, second chance breakfast, and universal free breakfast. There is some evidence that extending cafeteria hours (ie, second chance breakfast) or making a mobile cart available (ie, grab-and-go) can function to increase participation in Midwestern schools. As with any change to school policy, school and district administrators must be on board to support and successfully implement changes to the SBP. The purpose of this study was to identify administrator perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs related to the SBP and to explore barriers and potential facilitators to SBP participation and the adoption of nontraditional models in a rural, midsized Midwestern state. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017, American School Health Association",

year = "2017",

month = jun,

doi = "10.1111/josh.12511",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "87",

pages = "427--434",

journal = "Journal of School Health",

issn = "0022-4391",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",

number = "6",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Understanding Perceptions of School Administrators Related to School Breakfast in a Low School Breakfast Participation State

AU - Askelson, Natoshia M.

AU - Golembiewski, Elizabeth H.

AU - Bobst, Ann

AU - Delger, Patti J.

AU - Scheidel, Carrie A.

N1 - Funding Information: The National School Breakfast Program (SBP) is a powerful tool with the potential to address a range of challenges facing educators and parents today. The SBP, which is overseen by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, provides states with financial assistance to offer nonprofit breakfast programs in schools if federal operating and nutritional guidelines are met. School breakfast is an important source of daily nutrition for many children in United States. More than 14 million children participated in the SBP during FY 2015, over 11 million of whom were eligible for free or reduced-price meals, the threshold for which is a household income less than 185% of the federal poverty level. The SBP has been identified as a promising strategy in ongoing efforts to reduce the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in the United States. and has been associated with enhanced access to healthy food, improvements in school attendance, decreased hunger, and improvements in behavioral outcomes among participating students. Availability of the SBP is also associated with student academic achievement. In addition, it often provides children with a more nutritious breakfast than what is consumed outside the school. The SBP is designed to provide healthy and nutritious food for school-aged children, especially those from lower-income families. Unfortunately, despite the benefits of the SBP, participation in some rural and Midwestern states remains low. For example, most students (82.3%) in 1 rural, Midwestern state do not participate in the SBP. For every 100 children in this state who eat lunch at school using the free or reduced-cost program, only 42.1 of them are participating in the SBP. The state ranks 47th in the nation based on a poor participation ratio. Little is known about why participation in the SBP is low in some states. A limited body of research has examined participation from the student or the parent perspective, but a statewide examination of school administrator perceptions and beliefs has not been published. In addition, there are no published studies to our knowledge from states with low-ranking participation rates. The USDA and other national organizations are beginning to promote nontraditional models to increase participation. Commonly utilized nontraditional models include: breakfast in the classroom, grab-and-go, second chance breakfast, and universal free breakfast. There is some evidence that extending cafeteria hours (ie, second chance breakfast) or making a mobile cart available (ie, grab-and-go) can function to increase participation in Midwestern schools. As with any change to school policy, school and district administrators must be on board to support and successfully implement changes to the SBP. The purpose of this study was to identify administrator perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs related to the SBP and to explore barriers and potential facilitators to SBP participation and the adoption of nontraditional models in a rural, midsized Midwestern state. Publisher Copyright: © 2017, American School Health Association

PY - 2017/6

Y1 - 2017/6

N2 - BACKGROUND: The National School Breakfast Program (SBP) is a federally funded program that allows states to offer nutritious breakfast to K-12 students. However, rates of SBP participation are low in some rural states, and the reasons are not well understood. The purpose of the study was to explore administrators' perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs related to the SBP, and factors they identify as barriers or facilitators to increased participation. METHODS: Data were collected from a cross-sectional, online survey of K-12 school administrators (N = 152) in a rural, midsized Midwestern state fielded over an academic year. Descriptive statistics were calculated and open-ended questions were coded and analyzed for relevant themes. RESULTS: Administrators identified busing schedules, time constraints, and a lack of flexibility within the school schedule to accommodate breakfast as primary structural barriers to SBP participation. Administrators described family-centered norms as reasons for low participation in rural areas. Administrators are at varying stages of readiness to work on improving participation. CONCLUSIONS: Low SBP participation can be explained in part by a convergence of factors related to access, community norms, and structural barriers. Results may be used to inform ways in which administrators at the state, district, and school level can work to increase participation.

AB - BACKGROUND: The National School Breakfast Program (SBP) is a federally funded program that allows states to offer nutritious breakfast to K-12 students. However, rates of SBP participation are low in some rural states, and the reasons are not well understood. The purpose of the study was to explore administrators' perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs related to the SBP, and factors they identify as barriers or facilitators to increased participation. METHODS: Data were collected from a cross-sectional, online survey of K-12 school administrators (N = 152) in a rural, midsized Midwestern state fielded over an academic year. Descriptive statistics were calculated and open-ended questions were coded and analyzed for relevant themes. RESULTS: Administrators identified busing schedules, time constraints, and a lack of flexibility within the school schedule to accommodate breakfast as primary structural barriers to SBP participation. Administrators described family-centered norms as reasons for low participation in rural areas. Administrators are at varying stages of readiness to work on improving participation. CONCLUSIONS: Low SBP participation can be explained in part by a convergence of factors related to access, community norms, and structural barriers. Results may be used to inform ways in which administrators at the state, district, and school level can work to increase participation.

KW - rural schools

KW - school administrators

KW - school breakfast

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85018426445

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85018426445#tab=citedBy

U2 - 10.1111/josh.12511

DO - 10.1111/josh.12511

M3 - Article

C2 - 28463442

AN - SCOPUS:85018426445

SN - 0022-4391

VL - 87

SP - 427

EP - 434

JO - Journal of School Health

JF - Journal of School Health

IS - 6

ER -

Understanding Perceptions of School Administrators Related to School Breakfast in a Low School Breakfast Participation State

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Publisher link

Find It

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this