Food-Related Interventions in Schools for Students With Significant Disabilities: A Systematic Review and Analysis.
Most school food-intervention studies for students with IDD are too weak to trust—verify design quality before adopting any procedure.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Grumstrup et al. (2025) hunted for every school-based food study for kids with IDD. They kept only papers that met tough WWC rules. Out of 27 papers, just five passed the quality bar.
The review looked at feeding, weight-loss, and food-security programs. Most studies were too weak to trust.
What they found
Only five studies used strong designs. The other 22 had flaws like no control group or shaky measurement.
Because most research was weak, we still do not know which school food plans really help.
How this fits with other research
Fahmie et al. (2013) ran an 18-session diet-and-exercise class. Kids cut candy but weight stayed the same. The review would flag this study as low quality because it had no control group.
Vanderzell et al. (2025) showed three teens eating 60–100% of new foods after simple reinforcement. That single-case design met WWC rules, so it would be one of the rare "good" studies.
Mount et al. (2011) got 79 adults to lose 6% of body weight with self-monitoring and cash. The review reminds us adult results may not fit school kids.
Why it matters
Before you copy a feeding or weight program from a journal, check its design. If it lacks a control group or clear measurement, treat it as a rough draft, not a manual. Push for single-case or RCT designs in your own classrooms so future reviews can give stronger advice.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize research to date on school-based, food-related interventions (e.g., cooking, grocery shopping, food-related literacy, eating behavior) for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The second purpose was to evaluate the quality of eligible studies according to the design criteria of What Works Clearinghouse (WWC; 2020). Two levels of review took place: the first to establish eligibility for inclusion and the second to evaluate studies for research design criteria. Twenty-seven studies were evaluated, with five meeting WWC standards with or without reservations. The percentage of criteria met in each study ranged from 0 to 100 percent. Research needs and quality for the above outcomes in this population are discussed.
Intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2025 · doi:10.1352/1934-9556-63.2.165