Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39901560›Full record

ArticlePublic health nutrition2025

Impact of mealtime social experiences on student consumption of meals at school: a qualitative analysis of caregiver perspectives.

Leah Elizabeth Chapman, Wendi Gosliner, Deborah A Olarte, Monica Daniela Zuercher, Lorrene D Ritchie, Dania Orta-Aleman, Marlene B Schwartz, Michele Polacsek, Christina E Hecht, Kenneth Hecht and 4 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Public health nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Primary School Children's Views and Habits Around School Lunches.Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Leah Elizabeth ChapmanDepartment of Health Sciences and Nutrition, Center for Health Inclusion, Research, and Practice, Merrimack College, 315 Turnpike St, North Andover, MA01845, United States.
Wendi GoslinerNutrition Policy Institute, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, 1111 Franklin St, Oakland, CA94507, United States.
Deborah A OlarteDepartment of Nutrition and Food Studies, New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, 411 Lafayette Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY10003, United States.
Monica Daniela ZuercherNutrition Policy Institute, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, 1111 Franklin St, Oakland, CA94507, United States.
Lorrene D RitchieNutrition Policy Institute, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, 1111 Franklin St, Oakland, CA94507, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-8038-1821
Dania Orta-AlemanNutrition Policy Institute, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, 1111 Franklin St, Oakland, CA94507, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-8581-8714
Marlene B SchwartzRudd Center for Food Policy and Health & Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Connecticut, One Constitution Plaza, Suite 600, Hartford, CT06103, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-8939-1954
Michele PolacsekCenter for Excellence in Public Health, University of New England, 1075 Forest Avenue, Suite 123, Portland, ME04103, United States.
Christina E HechtNutrition Policy Institute, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, 1111 Franklin St, Oakland, CA94507, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-0426-0304
Kenneth HechtNutrition Policy Institute, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, 1111 Franklin St, Oakland, CA94507, United States.
Anisha I PatelStanford Pediatrics, Stanford University, 3145 Porter Drive, F110, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States.
Punam Ohri-VachaspatiCollege of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, 550 N 3rd St, Suite 501, Phoenix, AZ85004, United States.
Margaret ReadPartnership for a Healthier America, P.O. Box 1200, Prince Frederick, MD20678, United States.
Juliana Fw CohenDepartment of Health Sciences and Nutrition, Center for Health Inclusion, Research, and Practice, Merrimack College, 315 Turnpike St, North Andover, MA01845, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-3145-6014

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo understand caregivers' perceptions about their children's mealtime social experiences at school and how they believe these social experiences impact their children's consumption of meals at school (both meals brought from home and school meals).

designQualitative data were originally collected as part of a larger mixed methods study using an embedded-QUAN dominant research design.

settingSemi-structured interviews were conducted with United States (U.S.) caregivers over Zoom

participantsCaregivers of students in elementary, middle and high schools in rural, suburban and urban communities in California (

resultsCaregivers reported that an important benefit of eating meals at school is their child's opportunity to socialise with their peers. Caregivers also stated that their child's favourite aspect of school lunch is socialising with friends. However, some caregivers reported the cafeteria environment caused their children to feel anxious and not eat. Other caregivers reported that their children sometimes skipped lunch and chose to socialise with friends rather than wait in long lunch lines.

conclusionsSocialising during school meals is important to both caregivers and students. Policies such as increasing lunch period lengths and holding recess before lunch have been found to promote school meal consumption and could reinforce the positive social aspects of mealtime for students.

Indexed as

CaregiversFeeding BehaviorFood ServicesMealsSchoolsStudentsAdolescentAdultCaliforniaChildFemaleHumansLunchMaineMaleMiddle AgedCOVID-19Qualitative researchSchool mealsSocial anxietySocialising

Identifiers

PMID39901560
PMCPMC11983997

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.