Diet Quality of American School Children by National School Lunch Program Participation Status: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2010

This report provides tabulations of dietary measures and describes differences in diet quality between children who participated in the NSLP and children who did not participate in the NSLP. These comparisons are made within two income groups—children from families that were income-eligible to receive school lunches for free or at a reduced price, and children from higher-income families who were not eligible for free or reduced-price lunches but could participate in the NSLP by paying the full price. Income-eligible children were defined as children from families with annual income at or below 185 percent of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) poverty guideline. Higher-income children were defined as children from families with annual income greater than 185 percent of the DHHS poverty guideline.