Dr Regina Keith, Senior Lecturer in Global Public Health and Nutrition at the University of Westminster, talked about the importance of providing free school meals and the benefits this has on child education on BBC Radio London.
Discussing her research in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Dr Keith said that before the pandemic, 20% of children aged eight to ten in the borough would regularly miss out on meals. In the United Kingdom, she said, anywhere between 800,000 and a million children regularly miss out on meals.
Dr Keith stated that this lack of proper nutrition and sustenance had a big impact on children’s ability to learn and their career aspirations. She highlighted summer as a particularly difficult period for some children, who would regress with their learning because they weren’t receiving free school meals. Dr Keith’s research found that children who attended a free school meal programme in the summer were found to be more willing and able to learn. These children were also more likely to have higher career aspirations.
Dr Keith also discussed the importance of proper nutrition in tackling childhood obesity and helping to prevent disease in later life. Her research also found that a family of a child receiving school meals were able to save around £550 a year.
Listen to the programme on BBC Sounds – scroll forward to 3 hours and 15 minutes to hear Dr Keith’s interview.
