What Do Middle School Children Bring in Their Bag Lunches?

Background. Limited documentation exists on nutritional characteristics of bag lunches, although about 30% of adolescents take them. This study describes: (a) the prevalence of different types of foods in bag lunches, (b) the number of kilocalories, percentage of kilocalories from fat, amount of tot...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Preventive medicine 2002-04, Vol.34 (4), p.422-427
Main Authors: Conway, Terry L., Sallis, James F., Pelletier, Robin L., Powers, Holly S., Marshall, Simon J., Zive, Michelle M., Elder, John P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
adolescent nutrition
Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
Age Factors
bag lunch
California
Cholesterol, Dietary
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dietary Fats
Dietary Sucrose
fat content
Feeding Behavior
Female
Humans
Male
middle school
Sex Factors
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Summary:Background. Limited documentation exists on nutritional characteristics of bag lunches, although about 30% of adolescents take them. This study describes: (a) the prevalence of different types of foods in bag lunches, (b) the number of kilocalories, percentage of kilocalories from fat, amount of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sugar, and (c) the differences related to gender and grade. Methods. In 24 middle schools, observations were made on 1,381 bag lunches (about 58 per school) during one semester. Results. The most common bag lunch components were beverages and sandwiches. Fruits were more common than vegetables; non-chip snacks and chips were more common than cookies, candy, and cakes/pies. Bag lunches averaged 596.2 kcal (29.7% from fat), 20.8 g of total fat, 6.2 g of saturated fat, 32.6 mg of cholesterol, and 21.3 g of sugar. Boys' bag lunches had significantly more kilocalories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and percentage of energy from fat than girls' lunches. Significant grade differences were found only for total fat and cholesterol, with seventh graders bringing more than sixth graders. Conclusion. More research on the nutritional quality of foods brought to school in bag lunches is important for gaining a better understanding about how to improve students' nutrition.
ISSN:0091-7435
1096-0260
DOI:10.1006/pmed.2001.0987