{"id":29996,"date":"2025-09-30T16:25:50","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T16:25:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=29996"},"modified":"2025-09-30T16:25:51","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T16:25:51","slug":"universal-free-school-meals-linked-to-lower-blood-pressure-in-students-new-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/universal-free-school-meals-linked-to-lower-blood-pressure-in-students-new-study-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"Universal Free School Meals Linked to Lower Blood Pressure in Students, New Study Finds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A new study led by the University of Washington finds that universal free school meals could serve as a significant public health tool by reducing high blood pressure among students, adding to the program&#8217;s documented benefits.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Universal free school meals could be a key player in improving public health, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Washington. The study, <a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamanetworkopen\/fullarticle\/2839328\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> n JAMA Network Open, found that students in schools that adopted universal free meal programs were significantly less likely to have high blood pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) established in 2010 allows schools in low-income communities to offer free meals to all students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;High blood pressure is an important public health problem that isn\u2019t studied as much on a population level as obesity,\u201d lead author Anna Localio, a UW postdoctoral researcher of health systems and population health, said in a news release. \u201cWe have evidence that CEP increases participation in school meals, and we also have evidence that school meals are more nutritious than meals that kids obtain elsewhere. This is a public health policy that is delivering nutritious meals to children who may not have previously had access.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The researchers analyzed medical records of 155,778 students aged 4-18 from community health organizations and tracked their blood pressure metrics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They found that participation in universal free meals resulted in an average 2.71% decrease in high blood pressure prevalence, translating to nearly an 11% net drop over five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn previous work on the health impacts of universal free school meals, our team found that adoption of free meals is associated with decreases in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC12352392\/\">average body mass index scores<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC10979297\/\">childhood obesity prevalence<\/a>, which are closely linked to risk of high blood pressure,\u201d added\u00a0senior author Jessica Jones-Smith, a professor of health, society and behavior at the University of California Irvine\u2019s Joe C. Wen School of Population &amp; Public Health, who conducted much of the research as a faculty member of the UW School of Public Health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The reduction in high blood pressure may be largely due to the improved nutritional standards introduced along with the CEP. The 2010 law mandated that school meals align more closely with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, known for effectively managing hypertension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We know there are a lot of barriers to people eating this diet,\u201d Localio said, but the combination of universal free meals and higher nutritional standards likely made it easier for students to overcome those obstacles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The findings challenge the notion that universal free meals primarily benefit wealthier students. The study, which included mostly low-income students, showed significant health benefits across income levels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere is a perception that providing universally free school meals will only improve outcomes for students of relatively higher-income families, but our findings suggest that there are benefits for lower-income children as well,\u201d Jones-Smith added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This research arrives at a time when cuts to food assistance programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could limit schools\u2019 access to CEP. The program&#8217;s continuation and expansion are crucial as they play a significant role in child health and wellness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We\u2019re in a contentious time for public health, but it seems like there\u2019s bipartisan support for healthy school meals,\u201d Localio added. \u201cThere\u2019s legislation being considered in a number of states to expand universal free meals, and these findings could inform that decision-making. Cutting funding to school meals would not promote children\u2019s health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washington.edu\/news\/2025\/09\/25\/universal-free-meals-blood-pressure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">University of Washington<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Universal free school meals could be a key player in improving public health, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Washington. The study, published n JAMA Network Open, found that students in schools that adopted universal free meal programs were significantly less likely to have high blood pressure. The Community [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,148],"tags":[161],"class_list":["post-29996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-food-nutrition","category-policy","tag-university-of-washington"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Universal free school meals could be a key player in improving public health, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Washington. The study, published n JAMA Network Open, found that students in schools that adopted universal free meal programs were significantly less likely to have high blood pressure. The Community&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29996"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29996\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30014,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29996\/revisions\/30014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}