Competitive Food Policy and Food Behavior and Health Metrics in K-12 Students: A Scoping Review
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| Title: | Competitive Food Policy and Food Behavior and Health Metrics in K-12 Students: A Scoping Review |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Mary Curnutte (ORCID |
| Source: | Journal of School Nursing. 2026 42(1):46-62. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 17 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Information Analyses Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Educational Policy, Program Effectiveness, Elementary Secondary Education, Child Health, School Nurses, Role, Educational Legislation, Federal Legislation, Lunch Programs, Nutrition, Federal Programs, Breakfast Programs, Food, Eating Habits |
| Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers: | National School Lunch Act 1970, Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act 2010 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/10598405251374728 |
| ISSN: | 1059-8405 1546-8364 |
| Abstract: | School meals provide nearly half of children's daily calories, making them critical to childhood health. School food policies aim to improve student health by shaping the school food environment. While this environmental influence is known, the impact of these policies, especially following the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, has not recently been synthesized. This review searched PubMed, EMBASE, ERIC, and Cochrane databases, identifying 28 studies assessing school food policy on student health. Of these, 23 found positive health effects from competitive food policies, and 5 found mixed positive and neutral effects. No studies reported negative impacts. These findings suggest that competitive food policies are an effective and equitable strategy for improving health that school nurses can support. This review synthesizes the current evidence on competitive food policy to establish baseline evidence for the function of such policies to promote population health and find areas where further research would be useful. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1496645 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | School meals provide nearly half of children's daily calories, making them critical to childhood health. School food policies aim to improve student health by shaping the school food environment. While this environmental influence is known, the impact of these policies, especially following the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, has not recently been synthesized. This review searched PubMed, EMBASE, ERIC, and Cochrane databases, identifying 28 studies assessing school food policy on student health. Of these, 23 found positive health effects from competitive food policies, and 5 found mixed positive and neutral effects. No studies reported negative impacts. These findings suggest that competitive food policies are an effective and equitable strategy for improving health that school nurses can support. This review synthesizes the current evidence on competitive food policy to establish baseline evidence for the function of such policies to promote population health and find areas where further research would be useful. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1059-8405 1546-8364 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/10598405251374728 |
