Recommendations to Improve Food Access for K-12 Students in the City of Seattle

Food insecurity is defined as “limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.” In 2023, about 18% (6.5 million) of U.S. households with children experienced food insecurity. The impacts of low and very-low food security, such as reduced food quality, inconsistent meal patterns, and reduced food intake, were experienced by children and adults, disproportionately affecting single-parent and low-income families and those of racial/ethnic minoritized backgrounds.

Several federal initiatives, including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP), the After School Supper and Snack Programs, and the Summer Food Service Program, have provided access to nutritious meals and snacks for thousands of U.S. children. Although these programs have been shown to ameliorate food insecurity, gaps and inequities still exist. One non-federal initiative to address inequities in food insecurity is the Backpack Program (BPP), which entails the regular distribution of “backpacks” with food to children who attend K-12 schools in order to cover the gap in food assistance that occurs over the weekend. Backpacks typically include child-friendly, shelf-stable, prepackaged items like cereal, milk or juice, fruit, snacks, microwaveable instant foods, or canned soups.

Despite providing millions of meals to food-insecure students nationwide, and some indication that BPP participation ameliorates food insecurity, lack of uniformity in service delivery and nutritional quality between programs has drawn criticism about their effectiveness. The nutritional quality of BPP foods must be balanced with other factors like cost, accessibility, and children’s perceived taste preferences, which may be influenced by various psychosocial factors, including age, cultural food traditions, meal preparation capability, and nutritional knowledge. Encouraging healthy eating patterns at a young age can positively influence future dietary habits and potentially impact short and long-term health outcomes. Thus, the opportunity to increase the nutritional potential of BPP menus warrants further investigation.

Under the supervision of instructor Pia Chaparro, graduate students in FSNH’s MPH and MS degree programs collaborated with the City of Seattle’s Youth and Family Empowerment (YFE) Division within the Department of Human Services to provide “best practice” recommendations for their K-12 food access strategies (i.e., their BPP) to ensure that the food provided to students maximizes student choice while being nutritious, youth-friendly, and culturally responsive.

The objectives of this project were: 1) To conduct a literature review on the impact of BPPs across the country and on children’s taste preferences; 2) To explore the perspectives of food banks and school partners currently participating in Weekend Hunger Bag/Backpack Programs contracted with the City of Seattle’s YFE Division, in order to identify facilitators and barriers to the operation and effectiveness of these programs; and 3) To assess the nutritional quality of sample backpack menus across the City of Seattle’s provider organizations.

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Project Type(s): Master's Capstone

Author(s): Laura Henson, Mariam Kayali, Karen Krol, Paulina Nuñez Esquivel, Kate Shuhart, Becky Vogt

Program(s): Master of Public Health, Master of Science, RDN Training

Year: 2024

Adviser(s):

• Pia Chaparro