ArticleHealth promotion international2023
Health, wellbeing and nutritional impacts after 2 years of free school meals in New Zealand.
Article in Health promotion international, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Global parent perspectives on school food service internationally: A mixed papers narrative review.Nutrition & dietetics : the journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia · 2026Pooled it
- Food Service Professionals' Perspectives on the Barriers and Facilitators to the Implementation of Nutrition Standards for School Food: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review.The Journal of school health · 2026Pooled it
- Austere and Burnt Offerings: Countering the Material and Symbolic Othering Within School Meals in Aotearoa New Zealand with a Community Psychology Lens.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Systems-Based Dialogue With Secondary School Students to Explore School Food Environments That Promote Healthy People and Planet.Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association · 2026Article
- Welcoming and caring schools: a health-promoting schools analysis from a 2-year Canadian universal school lunch pilot.Health promotion international · 2026Article
- The impact of Ka Ora, Ka Ako, New Zealand's free, healthy school lunch program on children's health and wellbeing.BMC nutrition · 2026Article
- Global, regional, and national burden of ovarian cancer due to high BMI, 1990-2021 and projections to 2050: a systematic analysis based on the global burden of disease 2021 study.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Indigenous youth mental health: an ecological approach to understanding risk and protective factors for Māori youth in Aotearoa New Zealand.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Free, healthy school lunches in New Zealand: A Value for Investment analysis.BMC public health · 2025Article
- PolicyPublic health nutrition · 2025Article
- Impacts of Global School Feeding Programmes on Children's Health and Wellbeing Outcomes: A Scoping Review.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Evaluation of school food policies for secondary schools in Europe: Results for health, acceptance, and affordability from a scoping review.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025Article
- School-Provided Meals and the Prevention of Childhood Obesity: A Small part of a Very Important Story.Current obesity reports · 2025Review
- A Pilot Evaluation of WELLfed, a Community-Based Adult Education Intervention.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Being well-fed in universal school lunches in Canada: avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach.Health promotion international · 2025Article
- Quality and Quantity of School Lunch in Nanjing: Based on Data from the Sunshine Restaurant Supervision Platform.Nutrients · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
In 2020, a government-funded healthy school lunch program was introduced in a quarter of New Zealand schools, selected due to high levels of socio-economic barriers. This study assesses the impact of the introduction of the school lunch program from family (whānau), student and school principal perspectives. Across four schools, we conducted five focus groups (two with secondary students and three with family members) and four school principal interviews. Participating schools represented a range of contexts: primary and secondary, schools with cooks in on-site kitchens and schools receiving meals delivered by external caterers. Thematic analysis was used to develop themes describing the health, wellbeing and nutritional impact of the program. Family participants were 82% Indigenous Māori and self-identified as having 'borderline' (73.5%) or no financial security (8.8%). Seven positive impact themes were identified: improved food security, enhanced equity, increased appreciation of healthy foods for students, enhanced mana (wellbeing) for all, reduced financial hardship/stress for families, opportunities for nutritional learning and recognition that appreciation and uptake happen over time. Four negative impact themes were identified: low uptake that created food waste, perception that healthy food is not palatable for students, lack of knowledge of the program and loss of agency for students. This is the largest intervention in nutrition and food security for children implemented in New Zealand since the 1930's. The first 2 years have offered wellbeing and financial benefits for students and families, particularly when school environments promote uptake. More involvement of students and family members in the program planning is essential.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.