Publication: An Apple a Day: The Impact of Healthier School Meals on Children in Jordan
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Published
2025-09-05
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Date
2025-09-10
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Abstract
Poor nutritional choices and unhealthy behaviors are considered responsible for the rise in childhood overweight and obesity and may reinforce each other, creating a vicious cycle. This paper studies a primary school intervention designed to break the cycle early in life by replacing date bars with calorie-equivalent meals lower in sugar and fat. Leveraging the randomized pilot of a menu change in Jordan’s national school feeding program, the study shows that children consuming the alternative meals spend 8 percent less money to buy processed snacks, are more physically active (0.1 standard deviation), and go to school one extra day per year.
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“Lombardini, Simone; Kondylis, Florence; Lerva, Benedetta; Heirman, Jonas; Khincha, Roshni; Uckat, Hannah. 2025. An Apple a Day: The Impact of Healthier School Meals on Children in Jordan. Policy Research Working Paper; 11208. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/43698 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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