The Dietary Impacts of the School Breakfast Program

This study examines the dietary impacts of the School Breakfast Program based on twenty-four-hour dietary recall data collected during the 1980–81 school year. An important finding is that program availability has no significant relationship with the likelihood of eating breakfast, suggesting that a major program policy objective—to provide a breakfast to children who would not otherwise eat one—is not being achieved. Principal findings from the nutrient intake analysis are: (a) calcium intake, both at breakfast and over twenty-four hours, is positively related to program participation; (b) participation in the program is associated with lower intakes of cholesterol, both at breakfast and over twenty-four hours; and (c) iron intake at breakfast is negatively related to program participation.