At A Glance
Noteworthy Characteristics
- Provides national data on nutritional quality of meals offered to, selected by, and, when student-level data are collected, consumed by children who participate in the NSLP and SBP. Data are collected at district, school, and sometimes, student levels.
- Describes district and school food environments and policies.
- Evaluates whether the meals conform to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
- Student-level data, when collected, includes 24-hour dietary recalls, which can be used to assess the adequacy of children’s usual dietary intakes, and measured height and weight.
Website
https://www.fns.usda.gov/school-nutrition-dietary-assessment-study
Purpose
To collect data about the nutritional quality of meals offered, served, and consumed in public schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) in the United States (U.S.). The study also collects data about district and school policies and key characteristics of program operations.
Target Population
National samples of school food authorities (SFAs; generally analogous to school districts) and schools in the 48 contiguous states. To date, alternating waves of the study also have included a random sample of students in grades 1-12 and their parents.
Conducted
Began 1991-1992 and conducted periodically since then. SNDA-I collected data for schools 1991-1992 and included student-level data. SNDA-II collected data for school year 1998-1999. SNDA-III collected data for school year 2004-2005 and included student-level data. SNDA-IV collected data for school year 2009-2010. Public-use data files for SNDA-III and SNDA-IV are available from the study sponsor.
the SNDA study is no longer being conducted; the last round of data was collected for school year 2009-2010. The SNDA studies have been replaced by the School Nutrition and Meal Cost studies (SNMCS).
Sponsor
Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Special Note(s)
In SY 2014-2015, data will be collected for the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study (SNMCS). The SNMCS, which include data collection at SFA, school, and student levels, will combine the goals of the SNDA series of studies with a parallel series of studies that has examined school meal costs (the School Lunch and Breakfast Cost Studies). The SNMCS will allow researchers to assess, for the first time in a national sample, the relationships among meal quality, meal costs, student participation, plate waste, and students' dietary intakes. The second round of this study (SNMCS-II) was awarded on October 2017. Data will be collected in SY 2019-2020.
See also information about previous SNDA surveys:
SNDA-II
SNDA-III
Sampling
Sample Design
Cross-sectional survey.
Two- or three-stage stratified sample to produce nationally representative samples of school food authorities (SFAs), schools, and students. Random sampling of schools for the student survey (SNDA-I and SNDA-III). Learn more about the sampling design.
Sample Size
Varies. SNDA-III: Approximately 130 school districts, 400 schools, and 2,300 students (from approximately 300 schools) in 2004-2005. SNDA-IV: Approximately 600 SFAs and 900 schools in 2010.
Key Variables
Demographic
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Age | Interview/questionnaire (parent; student) |
| Child resides/does not reside with mother | Interview/questionnaire (parent; student) |
| Eligibility for school nutrition program | Interview/questionnaire (food service manager; school principal) |
| Family income | Interview/questionnaire (parent) |
| Grade level | Interview/questionnaire (parent) |
| Household size | Interview/questionnaire (parent; student) |
| Mother’s employment outside home | Interview/questionnaire (parent) |
| Race/ethnicity | Interview/questionnaire (parent) |
| Sex | Interview/questionnaire (parent) |
| Socioeconomic status | Interview/questionnaire (parent) |
Diet-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| District food policies | Interview/questionnaire (School Food Authority [SFA] director) |
| Family eating habits | Interview/questionnaire (parent) |
| Foods consumed during school day, times, and portion sizes | 24-hour recall (student); interview/questionnaire (parent) |
| Foods other than USDA school meals, their sources (e.g., a la carte foods, vending machines, fundraisers), and frequency of consumption | Interview/questionnaire (food service manager; school principal); a la carte checklist |
| National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program participation rates | Interview/questionnaire (SFA director) |
| Nutritional quality of meals offered to students in public schools, as compared with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children (SMI) standards, and other established benchmarks (calculated). | Interview/questionnaire (food service manager); 1-week menu analysis |
| Parent perceptions of the USDA meal program | Interview/questionnaire (parent) |
| Prices charged for full- and reduced-price school meals | Interview/questionnaire (food service manager) |
| Regular eating habits | Interview (adolescent student) |
| School food policies (e.g., schedules, nutrition education) | Interview/questionnaire (school principal) |
| School menu planning practices | Interview/questionnaire (food service manager; SFA director) |
| Student perceptions of the USDA meal program | Interview/questionnaire (student) |
| Types, servings, and portion sizes of food served as part of reimbursable program food | Interview/questionnaire (food service manager); 1-week menu analysis) |
| Use of foods from commercial vendors | Interview/questionnaire (food service manager) |
Physical Activity-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Physical activities | Interview/questionnaire (adolescent student; parent) |
| Television and computer use | Interview/questionnaire (adolescent student) |
Weight-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Height | Measured |
| Weight | Measured |
Geocode/Linkage
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| City or metropolitan statistical areas | Interview/questionnaire |
| Region | Interview/questionnaire |
Other
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| School enrollment and nutrition program participation rates | Interview/questionnaire (school staff; district staff) |
Data Access and Cost
Data Availability
SNDA public-use data can be obtained from:
Office of Research and Analysis
Food and Nutrition Service, USDA
3101 Park Center Drive
Alexandria, VA 22302
+1 (703) 305-2017
Cost
Free of charge.
Special Note(s)
Summaries of the data are available online on the SNDA website: SNDA IV Summary of Findings.
Geocode/Linkage
Geocode Variable(s)
City, metropolitan statistical area.
Existing Linkages
None noted.
Selected Publications
Diet-Related
Dwyer J. The School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study. Special journal issue, including 14 papers, focused on SNDA-I and its policy implications. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1995;61:173S-257S. Full text of all papers.
Mathematica Policy Research. New Data on the Nutritional Quality of School Lunches. 2013.
Story M. The school food environment, children's diets, and obesity: Findings from the Third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study. Special journal issue, including 13 papers. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2009;109(2Suppl):S3-S135.
