Lunch at school, at home or elsewhere. Where do adolescents usually get it and what do they eat? Results of the HELENA Study

• Published in: Appetite 2013-12, Vol.71, p.332-339
• Main Authors: Müller, Katrin, Libuda, Lars, Diethelm, Katharina, Huybrechts, Inge, Moreno, Luis A., Manios, Yannis, Mistura, Lorenza, Dallongeville, Jean, Kafatos, Anthony, González-Gross, Marcela, Cuenca-García, Magdalena, Sjöström, Michael, Hallström, Lena, Widhalm, Kurt, Kersting, Mathilde
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: adolescence; Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Adolescents; beverages; children; Choice Behavior; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet - psychology; Energy and food intake; Energy Intake; Europe; Feeding Behavior - psychology; Female; food intake; Food Preferences; Food Services - standards; Fruit; Health Behavior; HELENA Study; Humans; Life Style; lifestyle; Lunch; Lunch - psychology; Male; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Optimized Mixed Diet; potatoes; public health; school lunch; Schools; Surveys and Questionnaires; sweets; tea; Vegetables
• ISSN: 0195-6663; 1095-8304; 1095-8304
• DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2013.09.002

•School lunch patterns of European adolescents were described and evaluated.•Adolescents got their lunch at home (67%), at school (26%) or elsewhere (7%).•Lunchtime energy intake was nearly in line with the recommendations.•Lunchtime food intake was suboptimal compared to the recommendations.•Schools do not reveal all their potential to offer a healthy lunch for everyone yet. Considering the lack of uniformity regarding school meals in Europe, information on adolescents’ school lunch patterns is of public health importance. Thus, the aim of this analysis was to describe and evaluate lunchtime energy and food intake of European adolescents at different lunch locations. Data on nutritional and health-related parameters were derived from the HEalthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence Cross-Sectional Study (HELENA-CSS). A sub-sample of 891 adolescents (47% male) with plausible data on total and lunchtime energy intake (2×24h recall) as well as usual lunch location was considered. Food intake was compared to lunch of the Optimized Mixed Diet (OMD) for children and adolescents. Although energy intake was nearly in line with the recommendations, food intake was suboptimal compared to the OMD regardless of usual lunch location. Adolescents had more potatoes and less sweets at school, and more drinks (water, coffee and tea) and vegetables at home when each compared with the other locations. Food intake of adolescents getting their lunch elsewhere was characterized by the smallest amounts of potatoes and the highest amounts of sweets. Although lunch patterns may differ among countries, schools in Europe do not seem to reveal all their potential to offer access to a healthy lunch for adolescents yet.