Evaluation of School Feeding Programs and Their Impact on Nutritional Status among Primary School Children

Abstract

School feeding interventions play an essential role in enhancing food security, child nutrition and learning outcomes of primary school children. But malnutrition is still a serious problem in many developing parts of the world where these programs are implemented, and the effectiveness of these programs should be assessed. The overall objective of this study was to assess the effects of school feeding program on nutritional status of primary school children and to compare the nutritional status of the beneficiaries and the non-beneficiaries. The study design used was cross sectional comparative. The data were collected using questionnaires, anthropometric measurements (height, weight, BMI) and school records. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed to analyse nutrition indicators including stunting, wasting, prevalence of underweight and dietary diversity indicators. It turned out that the children who have received school feeding programs had better BMI, higher dietary diversity, and lower prevalence of underweight and stunting than the non-school feeding recipients. It was also found that students benefiting from the program had better attendance and better concentration in the class. The study concludes that the school feeding programme has a notable impact on nutritional and learning outcomes and that these initiatives should be enhanced by the quality of the food served and the way they can be sustainably rolled out.