How do publicly procured school meals programmes in sub-Saharan Africa improve nutritional outcomes for children and adolescents
A mixed-methods systematic review
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15095162 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Julia Liguori (0000-0001-8847-7169), Hibbah Araba Osei-Kwasi, Mathilde Savy (0000-0003-0562-9601), Silver Nanema (0009-0001-7771-1412), Amos Laar (0000-0001-5557-0164), Michelle Holdsworth (0000-0001-6028-885X) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2024-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Public Health Nutrition (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1368-9800 • E-ISSN: 1475-2727 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s1368980024001939 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 30 |
Objective: This review aimed to (i) synthesise evidence of the impact of publicly procured school meals programmes on nutritional outcomes of children/adolescents (5–18 years) in sub-Saharan Africa and (ii) identify challenges and facilitators to implementing effective school meals programmes. Design: Mixed-methods systematic review ( n 7 databases). Nutritional outcomes assessed were anthropometrics (underweight, stunting, wasting, overweight/obesity), micronutrient deficiencies, food consumed and food environment. Qualitative findings were coded using a nine-step school food system framework: production of food, wholesale and trading, transportation and storage, processing and distribution, food preparation, distribution to students, student stakeholders, community involvement and infrastructure support . Setting: Sub-Saharan Africa. Participants: Children/adolescents (5–18 years), parents, school personnel and government officials. Results: Thirty-three studies (twenty-six qualitative, seven quantitative) from nine sub-Saharan African countries were included. Six studies found a positive impact of publicly procured school meals programmes on nutritional outcomes (wasting ( n 1), stunting ( n 3), underweight ( n 1), vitamin A intake ( n 1) and dietary diversity ( n 1)). Fifty-three implementation challenges were identified, particularly during food preparation (e.g. training, payment), distribution to students (e.g. meal quantity/quality/diversity, utensils) and infrastructure support (e.g. funding, monitoring, coordination). Implementation facilitators were identified ( n 37) across processing and distribution (e.g. programme coordination), student stakeholders (e.g. food preferences, reduced stigma) and community involvement (e.g. engagement, positive perceptions). Included policy recommendations targeted wholesale and trading , food preparation , student stakeholders and infrastructure support in nine, fifteen and twenty-five studies, respectively. Conclusions: As many challenges remain, strengthening implementation (and therefore the nutritional impact) of school meals programmes in sub-Saharan Africa requires bold commitment and improved coordination at multiple levels of governance
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Prisma-S
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| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |