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Impacts of Global School Feeding Programmes on Children’s Health and Wellbeing Outcomes: A Scoping Review

AMY LOCKE, Michaela James Orcid Logo, Hope Jones, Rachel Davies, Francesca Williams, Sinead Brophy Orcid Logo

BMJ Open, Volume: 15, Issue: 10, Start page: e093244

Swansea University Authors: AMY LOCKE, Michaela James Orcid Logo, Hope Jones, Rachel Davies, Francesca Williams, Sinead Brophy Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-093244

Abstract

Objectives: School feeding programmes (SFPs) are widely implemented to address child poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition, yet evidence on their influence on children’s health outcomes is limited. With ongoing debate around universal versus targeted provision, this scoping review aims to map gl...

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Published in: BMJ Open
ISSN: 2044-6055 2044-6055
Published: BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. 2025
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70362
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With ongoing debate around universal versus targeted provision, this scoping review aims to map global literature on SFPs, identify which health and well-being outcomes are reported, and explore how these outcomes vary by programme type (targeted vs universal). Design: Scoping review conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The protocol was pre-registered on the Open Science Framework. Data sources: Four electronic databases&#x2014;Medline, PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar&#x2014;were searched in December 2023 and July 2025. Reference lists of included papers were also screened. Eligibility criteria: Included studies examined the impact of SFPs on physical, emotional, psychological and social health outcomes in children aged 5&#x2013;16. Only English-language studies published between 2009 and 2025 were included. Data extraction and synthesis: Data were extracted using a structured template and reviewed by multiple authors. Due to the heterogeneity in study designs and reported outcomes, a narrative synthesis approach was used to group findings thematically, following established guidance for narrative synthesis in systematic reviews. Results: A total of 44 papers were included in the final review, spanning 13 countries and published between 2009 and 2025. SFPs were associated with healthier weight status, improved dietary intake, better social engagement and reductions in stigma. Targeted programmes addressed food insecurity but were more often linked to stigma and poorer mental health outcomes. Conclusions: Universal SFP were effective at improving children&#x2019;s health outcomes such as healthy weight, improved behaviour and social support. 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spelling 2025-10-22T13:30:14.7716928 v2 70362 2025-09-16 Impacts of Global School Feeding Programmes on Children’s Health and Wellbeing Outcomes: A Scoping Review ff1402f470f7a9717db0893ff6663b25 AMY LOCKE AMY LOCKE true false 9a717d184fb8f768e462d95b91e63e23 0000-0001-7047-0049 Michaela James Michaela James true false 3fbf9b2f03a3a8f507dd35e9068bd485 Hope Jones Hope Jones true false 1baf106e3282cf5d6fd215593d9b6511 Rachel Davies Rachel Davies true false ec13271de4b0723591eccea967abc7d0 Francesca Williams Francesca Williams true false 84f5661b35a729f55047f9e793d8798b 0000-0001-7417-2858 Sinead Brophy Sinead Brophy true false 2025-09-16 Objectives: School feeding programmes (SFPs) are widely implemented to address child poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition, yet evidence on their influence on children’s health outcomes is limited. With ongoing debate around universal versus targeted provision, this scoping review aims to map global literature on SFPs, identify which health and well-being outcomes are reported, and explore how these outcomes vary by programme type (targeted vs universal). Design: Scoping review conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The protocol was pre-registered on the Open Science Framework. Data sources: Four electronic databases—Medline, PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar—were searched in December 2023 and July 2025. Reference lists of included papers were also screened. Eligibility criteria: Included studies examined the impact of SFPs on physical, emotional, psychological and social health outcomes in children aged 5–16. Only English-language studies published between 2009 and 2025 were included. Data extraction and synthesis: Data were extracted using a structured template and reviewed by multiple authors. Due to the heterogeneity in study designs and reported outcomes, a narrative synthesis approach was used to group findings thematically, following established guidance for narrative synthesis in systematic reviews. Results: A total of 44 papers were included in the final review, spanning 13 countries and published between 2009 and 2025. SFPs were associated with healthier weight status, improved dietary intake, better social engagement and reductions in stigma. Targeted programmes addressed food insecurity but were more often linked to stigma and poorer mental health outcomes. Conclusions: Universal SFP were effective at improving children’s health outcomes such as healthy weight, improved behaviour and social support. Overall, both targeted and universal SFP positively impact children’s health outcomes and address health disparities. Journal Article BMJ Open 15 10 e093244 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. 2044-6055 2044-6055 2 10 2025 2025-10-02 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-093244 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) Funding was provided by Swansea University as a PhD studentship and supported by the Centre for Population Health. 2025-10-22T13:30:14.7716928 2025-09-16T10:42:26.5171215 Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science AMY LOCKE 1 Michaela James 0000-0001-7047-0049 2 Hope Jones 3 Rachel Davies 4 Francesca Williams 5 Sinead Brophy 0000-0001-7417-2858 6 70362__35439__66168cddc73741a5a15270772c0eca3a.pdf 70362.VOR.pdf 2025-10-22T13:25:04.9227982 Output 617406 application/pdf Version of Record true © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) license. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Impacts of Global School Feeding Programmes on Children’s Health and Wellbeing Outcomes: A Scoping Review
spellingShingle Impacts of Global School Feeding Programmes on Children’s Health and Wellbeing Outcomes: A Scoping Review
AMY LOCKE
Michaela James
Hope Jones
Rachel Davies
Francesca Williams
Sinead Brophy
title_short Impacts of Global School Feeding Programmes on Children’s Health and Wellbeing Outcomes: A Scoping Review
title_full Impacts of Global School Feeding Programmes on Children’s Health and Wellbeing Outcomes: A Scoping Review
title_fullStr Impacts of Global School Feeding Programmes on Children’s Health and Wellbeing Outcomes: A Scoping Review
title_full_unstemmed Impacts of Global School Feeding Programmes on Children’s Health and Wellbeing Outcomes: A Scoping Review
title_sort Impacts of Global School Feeding Programmes on Children’s Health and Wellbeing Outcomes: A Scoping Review
author_id_str_mv ff1402f470f7a9717db0893ff6663b25
9a717d184fb8f768e462d95b91e63e23
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author_id_fullname_str_mv ff1402f470f7a9717db0893ff6663b25_***_AMY LOCKE
9a717d184fb8f768e462d95b91e63e23_***_Michaela James
3fbf9b2f03a3a8f507dd35e9068bd485_***_Hope Jones
1baf106e3282cf5d6fd215593d9b6511_***_Rachel Davies
ec13271de4b0723591eccea967abc7d0_***_Francesca Williams
84f5661b35a729f55047f9e793d8798b_***_Sinead Brophy
author AMY LOCKE
Michaela James
Hope Jones
Rachel Davies
Francesca Williams
Sinead Brophy
author2 AMY LOCKE
Michaela James
Hope Jones
Rachel Davies
Francesca Williams
Sinead Brophy
format Journal article
container_title BMJ Open
container_volume 15
container_issue 10
container_start_page e093244
publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
issn 2044-6055
2044-6055
doi_str_mv 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-093244
publisher BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
college_str Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
department_str Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science
document_store_str 1
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description Objectives: School feeding programmes (SFPs) are widely implemented to address child poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition, yet evidence on their influence on children’s health outcomes is limited. With ongoing debate around universal versus targeted provision, this scoping review aims to map global literature on SFPs, identify which health and well-being outcomes are reported, and explore how these outcomes vary by programme type (targeted vs universal). Design: Scoping review conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The protocol was pre-registered on the Open Science Framework. Data sources: Four electronic databases—Medline, PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar—were searched in December 2023 and July 2025. Reference lists of included papers were also screened. Eligibility criteria: Included studies examined the impact of SFPs on physical, emotional, psychological and social health outcomes in children aged 5–16. Only English-language studies published between 2009 and 2025 were included. Data extraction and synthesis: Data were extracted using a structured template and reviewed by multiple authors. Due to the heterogeneity in study designs and reported outcomes, a narrative synthesis approach was used to group findings thematically, following established guidance for narrative synthesis in systematic reviews. Results: A total of 44 papers were included in the final review, spanning 13 countries and published between 2009 and 2025. SFPs were associated with healthier weight status, improved dietary intake, better social engagement and reductions in stigma. Targeted programmes addressed food insecurity but were more often linked to stigma and poorer mental health outcomes. Conclusions: Universal SFP were effective at improving children’s health outcomes such as healthy weight, improved behaviour and social support. Overall, both targeted and universal SFP positively impact children’s health outcomes and address health disparities.
published_date 2025-10-02T06:49:26Z
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