The Dietary Impacts of the School Breakfast Program

This study examines the dietary impacts of the School Breakfast Program based on twenty‐four‐hour dietary recall data collected during the 1980–81 school year. An important finding is that program availability has no significant relationship with the likelihood of eating breakfast, suggesting that a major program policy objective—to provide a breakfast to children who would not otherwise eat one—is not being achieved. Principal findings from the nutrient intake analysis are: (a) calcium intake, both at breakfast and over twenty‐four hours, is positively related to program participation; (b) participation in the program is associated with lower intakes of cholesterol, both at breakfast and over twenty‐four hours; and (c) iron intake at breakfast is negatively related to program participation.