Table 1.
Survey-adjusted and inverse probability of treatment weighted characteristics of schools in the analytic sample from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study (n = 508).
| Variable | Schools Participating in Universal Free Lunch Mean or % (95% CI) (n = 103) |
Schools not Participating in Universal Free Lunch Mean or % (95% CI) (n = 405) |
|---|---|---|
| Region | ||
| Mid-Atlantic | 21.3 (0.0, 43.3) | 11.4 (4.3, 18.4) |
| Midwest | 10.4 (0.0, 23.8) | 14.5 (8.9, 20.2) |
| Mountain | 7.8 (0.0, 17.1) | 11.9 (6.4, 17.4) |
| Northeast | 2.3 (0.0, 6.7) | 5.3 (2.0, 8.5) |
| Southeast | 39.2 (11.9, 66.6) | 21.2 (12.3, 30.1) |
| Southwest | 9.6 (1.1, 18.1) | 13.1 (7.4, 18.7) |
| West | 9.4 (0.6, 18.3) | 22.7 (14.5, 30.8) |
| School Size | ||
| Small (<500 students) | 31.3 (13.1, 49.5) | 52.3 (44.4, 60.2) |
| Medium or Large (500 or more students) | 68.7 (50.5, 86.9) | 47.7 (39.8, 55.6) |
| Urbanicity | ||
| Urban | 33.2 (13.1, 53.4) | 20.6 (12.8, 28.4) |
| Suburban | 28.8 (5.7, 51.8) | 46.3 (37.5, 55.1) |
| Rural | 38.0 (9.8, 66.2) | 33.1 (25.3, 40.9) |
| School Level | ||
| Elementary School | 61.1 (41.5, 80.7) | 68.1 (63.9, 72.2) |
| Middle School | 26.7 (9.7, 43.8) | 18.2 (14.8, 21.6) |
| High School | 12.2 (3.9, 20.4) | 13.7 (11.5, 15.9) |
| FRP Meal Eligibility | ||
| 40–60% | 9.1 (0.0, 19.1) | 44.4 (36.7, 52.1) |
| 60–80% | 27.9 (0.0, 57.9) | 32.2 (24.7, 39.7) |
| 80–100% | 63.0 (34.8, 91.2) | 23.4 (16.0, 30.9) |
| Offers Competitive Foods During Meals | 74.8 (58.2, 91.3) | 79.4 (72.4, 86.3) |
| Uses Food Service Management Company | 23.2 (0.0, 53.8) | 9.1 (3.8, 14.4) |
| Number of Food Service Training Categories | 2.5 (1.2, 3.8) | 2.9 (2.4, 3.4) |
| HEI Score for Lunch | 81.4 (80.2, 82.5) | 81.9 (81.1, 82.7) |
CI, confidence interval; SFA, School Food Authority; HEI, Healthy Eating Index; UFM, universal free meals; FRP, free and reduced price.