title: Misclassification of fourth-grade children's participation in school-provided meals based on parental responses relative to administrative daily records.
abstract: Although many studies have relied on parental responses concerning children's school-meal participation, few studies have evaluated parental response accuracy. We investigated misclassification of fourth-grade children's participation in school-meal programs based on parental responses relative to administrative daily records using cross-sectional study data collected for 3 school years (2004-05, 2005-06, and 2006-07) for 1,100 fourth-grade children (87% black; 52% girls) from 18 schools total in one district. Parents reported children's usual school-meal participation on paper consent forms. The district provided administrative daily records of individual children's school-meal participation. Researchers measured children's weight and height. "Usual participation" in breakfast/lunch was defined as ≥50% of days. Parental responses misclassified 16.3%, 12.8%, 19.8%, and 4.7% of children for participation in breakfast, classroom breakfast, cafeteria breakfast, and lunch, respectively. Parental responses misclassified more children for participation in cafeteria than classroom breakfast (P=0.0008); usual-participant misclassification probabilities were less than nonusual-participant misclassification probabilities for classroom breakfast, cafeteria breakfast, and lunch (P<0.0001 for each) (two-proportion z tests). Parental responses concerning children's participation were more accurate for lunch than breakfast; parents overstated breakfast participation (both classroom and cafeteria) and lunch participation. Breakfast participation misclassification was not related to body mass index (P=0.41), sex (P=0.40), age (P=0.63), or socioeconomic status (P=0.21) (multicategory logistic regression controlling for school year, breakfast location, and school). Relying on parental responses concerning children's school-meal participation may hamper researchers' abilities to detect relationships that have policy implications for the child nutrition community. The use of administrative daily records of children's school-meal participation is recommended.
authors: Suzanne Domel
authors: SD
authors: Baxter
authors: Amy E
authors: AE
authors: Paxton-Aiken
authors: Julie A
authors: JA
authors: Royer
authors: David B
authors: DB
authors: Hitchcock
authors: Caroline H
authors: CH
authors: Guinn
authors: Christopher J
authors: CJ
authors: Finney
mesh_terms: D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005260:Female; D005522:Food Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D062407:Meals; D010290:Parents; D064167:Recommended Dietary Allowances; D012574:Schools; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Children; Misclassification; Parental responses; School meals; Socioeconomic status