Understanding Perceptions of School Administrators Related to School Breakfast in a Low School Breakfast Participation State.

BACKGROUND: The National School Breakfast Program (SBP) is a federally funded program that allows states to offer nutritious breakfast to K-12 students. However, rates of SBP participation are low in some rural states, and the reasons are not well understood. The purpose of the study was to explore administrators' perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs related to the SBP, and factors they identify as barriers or facilitators to increased participation. METHODS: Data were collected from a cross-sectional, online survey of K-12 school administrators (N = 152) in a rural, midsized Midwestern state fielded over an academic year. Descriptive statistics were calculated and open-ended questions were coded and analyzed for relevant themes. RESULTS: Administrators identified busing schedules, time constraints, and a lack of flexibility within the school schedule to accommodate breakfast as primary structural barriers to SBP participation. Administrators described family-centered norms as reasons for low participation in rural areas. Administrators are at varying stages of readiness to work on improving participation. CONCLUSIONS: Low SBP participation can be explained in part by a convergence of factors related to access, community norms, and structural barriers. Results may be used to inform ways in which administrators at the state, district, and school level can work to increase participation.

Exploring the Parents' Attitudes and Perceptions About School Breakfast to Understand Why Participation Is Low in a Rural Midwest State.

OBJECTIVE: To explore parental attitudes and perceptions about the school breakfast program in a state with low school breakfast participation. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study design that used an online survey completed by parents supplemented with district data from a state department of education. The survey included quantitative and qualitative components. SETTING: A rural Midwestern state with low school breakfast participation. PARTICIPANTS: Parents and caregivers of children in grades 1-12 were recruited through schools to complete a survey (n = 7,209). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participation in a school breakfast program. ANALYSIS: A generalized estimating equation model was used to analyze the data and account for the possible correlation among students from the same school district. Open-end survey items were coded. RESULTS: Parents identified several structural and logistic barriers in response to open-ended survey items. Factors associated with breakfast participation include perceived benefits, stigma related to those for whom breakfast is intended, and the importance of breakfast. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Interventions should be designed to test whether changing parent perceptions and decreasing stigma will lead to increased breakfast participation. Policy, systems, and environment changes addressing the structural and logistic barriers also may have the potential to increase participation.