Measurement and evaluation of school lunch time elements in elementary, junior high, and high school levels

School lunch is a critical source of daily nutrients for many students. To realize the full benefits of this meal, however, students must have adequate time to consume it. The purpose of this project was to investigate the time used by school children to eat lunch. This article focuses on the adequacy of the school lunch period in three school grade levels. A time study collected the data. Before data collection, researchers designed the data collection equipment and procedures, trained data collectors, and conducted a pilot test. For the time study, data were collected daily during a 12-week period. Data analysis included mean scores and standard deviations for all elements of the school lunch period. Researchers also analyzed data with the General Linear Models (GLM) procedures of the Statistical Analysis System (SAS). Results indicated that junior high school students required the most time for service (6 minutes, 46 seconds); elementary school students required the least time (2 minutes, 30 seconds). Senior high school students had the most time to eat (29 minutes, 33 seconds), while junior high school students had the least time (20 minutes, 49 seconds). The mean time spent actually eating the school lunch was 9 minutes, 29 seconds for elementary school students, followed by junior high school students who spent 8 minutes, 27 seconds. Senior high school students spent 7 minutes, 53 seconds. Busing dishes required 49 seconds at elementary schools, and only 17 and 13 seconds at the junior high and senior high schools, respectively. Specific conclusions of the study include: The majority of school children observed had enough time to eat their school lunch. The major factor limiting the time available to eat was the time spent waiting in the serving line. Students spent a large portion of the time available to eat on social interactions. Recommendations for school foodservice operations resulting from the study include: Schools should monitor the number of students released at one time to the cafeteria, and, where possible, use a staggered release system. Schools should develop and implement policies regarding appropriate student behavior to allow for both eating and socializing to occur. Elementary schools should ask parent volunteers to help the children with eating activities. School food service managers should evaluate the service component to identify factors that lengthen serving time. Recommendations for future research include: Other schools and school districts should measure, compare, and monitor the elements of the lunch period in their schools. Schools should explore the effect of foodservice operational procedures on the time spent in the serving line. Additional factors identified in this study that influence the time spent in the serving line and actually eating school lunch should be evaluated.