Home / Repository / PRWP / RR_JOR_2025_391
PRWP

Reproducibility package for An Apple A Day: The Impact Of Healthier School Meals On Children In Jordan

2025
Get Reproducibility Package
Reference ID
RR_JOR_2025_391
DOI
https://doi.org/10.60572/rvyd-hy70
Author(s)
Hannah Uckat, Benedetta Lerva, Florence Kondylis, Roshni Khincha, Simone Lombardini, Jonas Heirman
Collections
World Bank Policy Research Working Papers
Metadata
JSON
Created on
Aug 11, 2025
Last modified
Sep 10, 2025
  • Overview
  • Reproducibility Package
  • Description
  • Scope and coverage
  • Disclaimer
  • Access and rights
  • Contacts
  • Information on metadata
  • Citation

    • Overview

    Abstract

    Poor nutritional choices and unhealthy behaviors are considered responsible for the rise in childhood overweight and obesity; they may reinforce each other, creating a vicious cycle. We study a primary school intervention designed to break the cycle early in life by replacing sugary date bars with calorie-equivalent healthier meals containing cheese, fruits, and vegetables. Leveraging the randomized pilot of a menu change in Jordan’s national school feeding program, we show children consuming healthier meals spend 8% less money to buy processed snacks, are more physically active (0.1 standard deviations), and go to school one extra day per year.

    Reproducibility Package

    Scripts
    Get Reproducibility Package
    File name
    RR_JOR_2025_391
    Zip package
    RR_JOR_2025_391.zip
    Title
    Reproducibility package for An Apple A Day: The Impact Of Healthier School Meals On Children In Jordan
    Date
    2025-08
    Dependencies
    Stata dependencies are listed in the ado folder.
    Instructions
    See README in reproducibility package.
    Notes
    Computational reproducibility verified by Development Impact (DECDI) Analytics team, World Bank.
    Source code repository
    Repository name URI
    Reproducible Research Repository (World Bank) https://reproducibility.worldbank.org
    Software
    Name
    Stata
    Version
    18.5 MP

    Reproducibility

    Technology environment

    Paper exhibits were reproduced on a computer with the following specifications:
    • OS: Windows 11 Enterprise, version 23H2
    • Processor: Intel(R) Xeon(R) Platinum 8562Y+ 2.80 GHz (2 processors)
    • Memory available: 32 GB
    • Software version: Stata (StataNow) 18.5 MP-Parallel Edition
    Technology requirements

    Runtime: 5 minutes
    Reproduction instructions
    1. Obtain the data: Some of the datasets used for this reproducible package are restricted or are forthcoming in the World Bank Microdata Library. Please see details in Section Datasets.
    2. Place the data in the correct folders: If the data files are obtained, they should be copied to their corresponding folders as outlined in the README.
    3. Adjust File Paths and Run Code: Update the paths in "Dofiles/ChildShortPaper_MasterDofile.do" and run the do-file to reproduce the results.

    Since some data is restricted and obtaining access to all data might be difficult, this reproducibility package includes the outputs generated by the reviewers in the reproducibility verification. They are in the "Output" folder.

    Data

    Datasets
    Name
    Jordan School Meal Programme Survey Data
    Note
    Source: World Bank. The data was collected by the authors between September 2023 and June 2024, deidentified, and saved in Stata format. Data files: "WFP SBP Jordan Student Baseline Survey_reproduc.dta" (main baseline data), "School feeding-Child survey-Calling progress.dta" (distribution of consent forms), "hfcs_child_endline_consent_yes_reproduc.dta" (main endline data), and "jo_p1_school_random_assignment_cluster_50_kitchen.dta" and "jo_p1_school_random_assignment_cluster_50_kitchen_monitoring.dta" (treatment status with monitoring data collected by the authors).
    Access policy
    Data is forthcoming in the World Bank Microdata Library.
    Name
    Monitoring data on the distribution of the Jordan School Meal Programme
    Note
    Source: World Food Programme (WFP). Data was deidentified and saved in Stata format. Data files: "School_Checklist_reproduc.dta" and "School_Checklist_Semester2_reproduc.dta". Data was accessed in June 2024. Data was received directly from the teams' counterparts at the WFP. For more information on these data, you can contact the author at huckat@worldbank.org.
    Access policy
    Data is restricted, and it is not included in the reproducibility package.
    Name
    Administrative data on school enrollment and attendance for the years 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 in Jordan
    Note
    Source: Jordan Ministry of Education Queen Rania Center. Data was collected through the Education Management Information System (EMIS) data system. Data was deidentified and saved in Stata format. Data files: "attendance 21-22.dta" and "attendance 22-23.dta". Data was accessed in August 2024. It was received from World Food Programme (WFP) counterparts, who obtained it from the Jordan Ministry of Education, Queen Rania Center, under a Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions. For more information on these data, you can contact the author at huckat@worldbank.org.
    Access policy
    Data is restricted, and it is not included in the reproducibility package.
    Name
    Height and weight student data for Jordan
    Note
    Source: Jordan Ministry of Education Queen Rania Center. Data was collected through the Education Management Information System (EMIS) data system.Data was deidentified and saved in Stata format. Data file: "height and weight 2022.dta". Data was accessed in August 2024. It was received from World Food Programme (WFP) counterparts, who obtained it from the Jordan Ministry of Education, Queen Rania Center, under a Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions. For more information on these data, you can contact the author at huckat@worldbank.org.
    Access policy
    Data access requires human approval and is not included in the reproducibility package.
    Name
    Student data for 2021-2022 for Jordan
    Note
    Source: Jordan Ministry of Education Queen Rania Center. Data was collected through the Education Management Information System (EMIS) data system.Data was deidentified and saved in Stata format. Data files: "1st grade.dta", "2nd grade.dta", "3rd grade.dta", "4th grade.dta", "5th grade.dta", "6th grade.dta". Data was accessed in August 2024. It was received from World Food Programme (WFP) counterparts, who obtained it from the Jordan Ministry of Education, Queen Rania Center, under a Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions. For more information on these data, you can contact the author at huckat@worldbank.org.
    Access policy
    Data is restricted, and it is not included in the reproducibility package.
    Name
    Student data for 2022-2023 for Jordan
    Note
    Source: Jordan Ministry of Education Queen Rania Center. Data was collected through the Education Management Information System (EMIS) data system.Data was deidentified and saved in Stata format. Data files: "g1-world food.dta", "g2-world food.dta", "g3-world food.dta", "g4-world food.dta", "g5-world food.dta", "g6-female-world food.dta", "g6-male-world food.dta", "G1-food-with-openemisid.dta", "G2-food-with-openemisid.dta", "G3-food-with-openemisid.dta", "G4-food-with-openemisid.dta", "G5-food-with-openemisid.dta", "G6-food-with-openemisid.dta". Data was accessed in August 2024. It was received from World Food Programme (WFP) counterparts, who obtained it from the Jordan Ministry of Education, Queen Rania Center, under a Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions. For more information on these data, you can contact the author at huckat@worldbank.org.
    Access policy
    Data is restricted, and it is not included in the reproducibility package.
    Data statement

    Some data is restricted and has not been included in the reproducibility package. For more details, please refer to the README file.

    Description

    Output
    Type
    Working Paper
    Title
    An Apple A Day: The Impact Of Healthier School Meals On Children In Jordan
    Description
    Policy Research Working Papers (PRWP) WPS11208
    URL
    http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099850109052573815
    DOI
    https://www.doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-11208
    Authors
    Author Affiliation Email
    Hannah Uckat World Bank huckat@worldbank.org
    Benedetta Lerva World Bank blerva@worldbank.org
    Florence Kondylis World Bank fkondylis@worldbank.org
    Roshni Khincha World Bank rkhincha@worldbank.org
    Simone Lombardini World Food Programme simone.lombardini@wfp.org
    Jonas Heirman World Food Programme jonas.heirman@wfp.org
    Date of production

    2025-08-08

    Scope and coverage

    Geographic locations
    Location Code
    Jordan JOR

    Disclaimer

    Disclaimer

    The materials in the reproducibility packages are distributed as they were prepared by the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this event do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank, the Executive Directors of the World Bank, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the materials included in the reproducibility package.

    Access and rights

    License
    Name URI
    Modified BSD3 https://opensource.org/license/bsd-3-clause/

    Contacts

    Contacts
    Name Affiliation Email
    Hannah Uckat World Bank huckat@worldbank.org
    Reproducibility WBG World Bank reproducibility@worldbank.org

    Information on metadata

    Producers
    Name Abbreviation Affiliation Role
    Reproducibility WBG DECDI World Bank - Development Impact Department Verification and preparation of metadata
    Date of Production

    2025-08-08
    Document version

    1

    Citation

    Citation
    loading, please wait...
    Export citation: RIS | BibTeX | Plain text
    Back to Catalog