Parent Perceptions of School Meals Influence Student Participation in School Meal Programs

ObjectiveTo evaluate if parent perceptions of school meals influence student participation.DesignIn May 2022, an online survey was used to evaluate parents' perceptions of school meals and their children's participation.ParticipantsA total of 1,110 California parents of kindergarten through 12th-grade students.Main Outcome MeasuresStudent participation in school lunch and breakfast.AnalysisPrincipal component analysis and Poisson regression models.ResultsThree groups of parental perceptions were identified: (1) positive perceptions (eg, liking school meals and thinking that they are tasty and healthy), (2) perceived benefits to families (eg, school meals save families money, time, and stress), and (3) negative (eg, concerns about the amount of sugar in school meals and stigma). More positive parental perceptions about school meals and their benefits to families were associated with greater student meal participation. In contrast, more negative parental perceptions were associated with reduced student participation in school meals (P < 0.05).Conclusion and ImplicationsParent perceptions of school meals may affect student participation in school meal programs. Working to ensure parents are familiar with the healthfulness and quality of school meals and the efforts schools are making to provide high-quality, appealing meals may be critical for increasing school meal participation rates.