A new study from the University of Washington has found evidence that providing free meals at schools to all students may help lower their blood pressure.
UW researchers analyzed health data from over 100,000 students attending over 1,000 different campuses. The study looked at data from 2013 to 2019.
At that time, the Community Eligibility Provision was being rolled out nationwide. It's a federal program that allows all students at schools in low income areas to access free breakfast and lunch.
Overall, at campuses that provided universal free meals, the number of students with high blood pressure went down by about 11% over five years.
Click "Listen" above to hear this story.
