VOA教育报道2024--Study: Free School Meals Linked to Reduction in Childhood Obesity

Study: Free School Meals Linked to Reduction in Childhood Obesity¹

　　Research published in March found that a free meal program in schools was connected with a reduction in childhood obesity in the United States.

　　Anna Localio and Jessica Jones-Smith from the University of Washington are two of the researchers who studied the health effects of nutrition-related policies. Their study was published last month in the medical publication Pediatrics.

　　The two wrote in The Conversation about their research on a federal program called the Community Eligibility² Provision (CEP). That program, started in 2014, permits schools in high-poverty areas to provide free meals in the morning and noon to all their students.

　　History of free school meals

　　In 1946, the U.S. created the National School Lunch Program aiming to protect the health and well-being³ of American children. Participating schools were required to provide free or reduced-price meals at noon, called lunches, to children from eligible⁴ families. Eligibility is determined⁵ by income based on federal poverty levels.

　　The School Breakfast Program came in 1966. It provides free, reduced-price, and full-price breakfasts, or meals in the morning, to students.

　　The Community Eligibility Provision permits all students in a school to receive free breakfast and lunch, instead of determining eligibility by individual families. Entire schools or school systems are eligible for free lunches if at least 40 percent of their students are directly eligible to receive free meals.

　　Localio and Jones-Smith say the CEP increases school meal participation⁶ by "reducing the stigma⁷" linked to receiving free meals.

　　During the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government expanded the program to more school systems across the country. By the 2022-23 school year, over 40,000 schools were participating, an increase of more than 20 percent over the prior year.

　　Research on the effects of free meals

　　The researchers examined whether providing free meals at school through CEP was connected with lower childhood obesity before the pandemic.

　　To do this, they measured changes in obesity from 2013 to 2019 among 3,531 California schools in poorer communities. The researchers used over 3.5 million body mass index (BMI) measurements of students in fifth, seventh and ninth grade that were taken yearly and combined at the school level. BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight.

　　The researchers looked at differences between schools that participated in the program and eligible schools that did not. They followed the same schools over time, comparing obesity among students before and after the policy change.

　　The researchers found that schools participating in the CEP program had a 2.4 percent reduction in levels of obesity in students compared with eligible schools that did not participate in the program.

　　Localio and Jones-Smith wrote that "even small improvements in obesity levels are notable because effective strategies to reduce obesity at a population level remain elusive⁸."

　　They added that because obesity affects poor and minority children more than others, this policy could help to reduce health inequalities.

　　The CEP likely reduces the amount of obesity by substituting up to half of a child's weekly diet with healthier food, the research found.

　　Research has shown that school meals can be healthier than meals from other sources, including meals at home. One study found that school meals provide the best diet quality of any major U.S. food source.

　　At the same time, the free meals save about $4.70 a day per child or $850 per year. For low and middle-income families, this could result in savings⁹ that can be used for other healthy goods or services.

　　Expanding access to school meals

　　Childhood obesity has been increasing over the past several decades. Obesity often continues into adulthood¹⁰ and is linked to many health conditions and early death.

　　Growing research shows the benefits of universal free school meals for the health and well-being of children. Along with the study of California schools, other researchers have found an association between universal free school meals and reduced obesity in Chile, South Korea and Britain.

　　Studies have also linked the CEP program to improvements in school performance and reductions in suspensions.

　　Universal free meals policies may slow the rise in childhood obesity rates, "but they alone will not be enough to reverse these trends," Localio and Jones-Smith say. Alongside free meals, identifying other strategies to reduce obesity among children is necessary to address this public health issue, they say.

　　Words in This Story

　　obesity — n. fat in a way that is unhealthy

　　eligible — n. able to be chosen for something

　　stigma — n. a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something

　　strategy — n. a careful plan or method for achieving a particular goal usually over a long period of time

　　elusive — adj. hard to find or capture

　　income — n. money that is earned from work, investments, business, etc.

1 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

2 eligibility   

n.合格，资格

参考例句：

• What are the eligibility requirements? 病人被选参加试验的要求是什么？ 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望
• Eligibility for HINARI access is based on gross national income (GNI). 进入HINARI获取计划是依据国民总收入来评定的。

3 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

4 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

5 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

6 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

7 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

8 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

9 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

10 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。