Parent perceptions of school meals and how perceptions differ by race and ethnicity
Parental perceptions of school meals can affect student participation and overall support for school meal policies. Among 1110 California parents of K–12 students, most reported school meals benefit their families, saving them money (81.6%), time (79.2%), and stress (75.0%). Few reported that their child would be embarrassed to eat school meals (11.7%), but more parents of White students than Hispanic students reported this. Many parents reported that their child likes to eat lunch to be with friends (64.7%); about half felt their child has enough time to eat (54.2%). Fewer parents perceived school lunches to be of good quality (36.9%), tasty (39.6%), or healthy (44.0%). Parents of Hispanic and Asian students had less favorable perceptions of school meal quality, taste, and healthfulness than parents of White students.
Full citation: Zuercher, M. D., Cohen, J. F., Ohri-Vachaspati, P., Hecht, C. A., Hecht, K., Polacsek, M., … & Gosliner, W. (2024). Parent perceptions of school meals and how perceptions differ by race and ethnicity. Health Affairs Scholar, 2(1), qxad092.