Michele Polacsek, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor of public health and director of UNE’s Center for Excellence in Public Health, and Margaret Gamble, B.A., research assistant and UNE Master’s in Social Work student presented their research at the annual 2024 Innovations in Nutrition Synergy Summit which too place May 15th – May 17th in Des Moines, Iowa. The presentation was titled “A university-low-income-housing partnership to support food security, healthy shopping, eating, health and wellness among older adults in rural Maine.”
The research project was a collaboration between the University of New England Centers for Excellence in Public Health and Aging and Health, and the Westbrook Housing Authority and Southern Maine Agency on Aging. The research team led by Dr. Polacsek implemented and evaluated the impact of an innovative, pandemic-responsive nutrition education program, Enhanced-10 Tips for Adults (e-TTA), on food security, socialization, and perceived health and wellbeing of residents in a rural low-income senior housing setting in Maine, a three-year project.
The project was supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1,200,000 with 75% or $900,000 funded by ACL/HHS and 25% or $300,000 funded by non- governmental source(s). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor are an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.”
Michele Polacsek, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor of public health and director of UNE’s Center for Excellence in Public Health, is co-author on a just-published manuscript exploring parental perceptions of universal school meals during the pandemic in California and Maine, the first two states to adopt universal school meals permanently.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Congress authorized the United States Department of Agriculture to waive a variety of school meal regulations and funded school meals daily for all students at no charge regardless of family income. Since federal Universal Free School Meals (UFSM) ended with the 2021-2022 school year, several states, including California and Maine, adopted state-level UFSM policies.
The article titled “Universal School Meals During the Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Analysis of Parent Perceptions from California and Maine” aimed to understand parent perceptions of school meal policies in California and Maine, including any challenges and benefits to students and households.
A quantitative survey was administered to parents of students in elementary, middle, and high schools in rural, suburban, and urban communities in California (n=1,110) and Maine (n=80). Qualitative interviews were then conducted with a subset of these parents in California (n=46) and Maine (n=20) using ZoomTM.
Parents perceived that school meals and UFSM saved families money and time, as parents had fewer meals to purchase and prepare for their children. Additionally, UFSM reduced parents’ stress and reduced stigma for children and for parents, who described feelings of embarrassment when they previously filled out paperwork for FRPM.
In sum, the study supports to continuation of universal meals and can jelp policymakers in states that are considering continuation of this policy.
Chapman LE, Gosliner W, Olarte DA, Ritchie LD, Schwartz MB, Polacsek M, Hecht CE, Hecht K, Turner L, Patel AI, Zuercher MD, Read M, Daly TP, Cohen JF. Universal School Meals During the Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Analysis of Parent Perceptions from California and Maine. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2024 May 10;. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2024.05.005. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 38735530.
