It was studied the role of the school lunch in the dietary behaviour of the three hundred and forty-six preschool children drawn from the Preschool Education and Feeding Centre (CEAPE), in six towns of the State of S. Paulo, Brazil. In home entreviews, the mothers or persons responsible for the preschool children's diet gave the number of meals and the quantity of their food intake before and after their participation in the Program. It was noted that the school lunch as interfered in the dietary intake of children insofar as quantity of food and number of meals usually eaten at home is concerned. The results showed that one hundred and seventy-eight (51.4%) preschool children decrease their dietary intake at home, through excluding meals and/or by reducing the quantity of food, after eating the school lunch; of the total of these children, one hundred and fifteen (64.6%) pre-school children showed inadequate diet as regards energy intake; forty-eight (13.9%) children increased the quantity of usual foods and/or included meals in their diet, but twenty-three children (47.9%) showed insufficient energy intake. Among the one hundred and twenty (34.7%) preschool children that did not show any modification in their diet, sixty-two (51.7%) showed inadequate energy intake. We may conclude that it is necessary to inform the family that the role of the school lunchis as a dietary supplement and not a substitute for meals eaten at home.
School feeding; Child, preschool; Food habits; Feeding behavior; Caloric intake; Nutrition education