Thread by @AngelaMMadden

Just a few thoughts about why I support #FreeSchoolMeals based on my work as a clinical dietitian, academic and researcher
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Inadequate healthy food intake impacts negatively on health and wellbeing especially in most vulnerable i.e. children
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This isn’t rickets or other vitamin deficiencies common in 1920-30s but impaired growth and ⬆️ risk of long-term conditions like diabetes, heart disease & some cancers which are linked to deprivation
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and, yes, obesity and lack of nutrients can co-exist
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Poor intake can also adversely affect brain development & ability to learn and achieve academically e.g. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27599886/
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Longer term, this worsens life chances and employability = nutritional impairment in children has life-long consequences
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Nutrition is just one of many factors affecting life chances – but it is one that we can modify by trying to ensure all young people get sufficient healthy food that they can eat
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It’s hard to get good evidence to show long-term effects of community-based food support … pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30480324/
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… but food assistance programmes are generally effective in mitigating food insecurity and improving nutritional outcomes including hunger pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30475559/
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#FreeSchoolMeals are likely to have positive effects, so it seems reasonable to provide to those who need them …
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… and so help minimise potential future expense to our society through increased NHS costs and an unfit work-force
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(Aside: it was a Conservative government who recognised that poorly nourished young men were not fit enough to join the army and set up a Cmtt on Physical Deterioration in 1903 leading to school meal provision in 1906 under Liberals) nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/brit…
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We know that food security has become more of a concern during Covid-19 and that health inequalities are growing
arc-eoe.nihr.ac.uk/covid-19-proje…
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And as a society, I believe we have a responsibility to address this as a moral, political and social issue: #FreeSchoolMeals can help do this
academic.oup.com/ajcn/advance-a…
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Supporting excellent organisations like @FareShareUK @ChildFoodTrust and @CWTFood is great but I believe Government action is also needed
@10DowningStreet @RishiSunak @GavinWilliamson @grantshapps
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