Differential Improvements in Student Fruit and Vegetable Selection and Consumption in Response to the New National School Lunch Program Regulations: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background This study investigated changes in student food selection and consumption in response to the new National School Lunch Program meal patterns during fall, 2011. Design Eight elementary and four intermediate schools in one Houston area school district were matched on free/reduced price (FRP) meal eligibility and randomized into control or intervention conditions. Intervention Both intervention and control school cafeterias served the same menu. The intervention school cafeterias posted the new meal pattern daily; students could select one fruit and two vegetable servings per reimbursable meal. Control school students could only select the previous meal pattern: a total of two fruit and vegetable servings per meal. Main outcome measures Students were observed during lunch: gender, foods selected/consumed were recorded. Diet analysis software was used to calculate energy/food groups selected/consumed. Statistical analyses performed Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel Chi-square tests examined differences in the percent of students selecting each meal component by condition, controlling for gender, grade, and school FRP. ANCOVA assessed differences in amount of energy/food groups selected and consumed, and differences in percent of food groups consumed. Results Observations were conducted for 1149 elementary and 427 intermediate students. Compared with students in the control schools, significantly more intervention elementary and intermediate school students selected total (P<0.001, P<0.05) and starchy vegetables (P<0.001; P<0.01); more intervention intermediate school students selected fruit (P<0.001), legumes (P<0.05), and protein foods (P<0.01). There were significantly greater amounts of these foods selected and consumed, but no differences in the proportion of the foods consumed by condition. Fewer calories were consumed by elementary and intermediate school intervention students. Conclusions More intervention students selected fruit and vegetables at lunch, and consumed them compared with control condition students. Future studies with larger and more diverse student populations are warranted.

Successes and Challenges in School Meal Reform: Qualitative Insights From Food Service Directors

“…Our qualitative findings are consistent with and complement several recent quantitative studies related to school meal reform. Studies have reported that overall, student selection and consumption of fruits and vegetables increased after implementation of the new meal standards . In addition, FSDs' references to the importance of the “bigger puzzle” in children's health are consistent with a body of literature that identifies schools as one component of a complex and dynamic system influencing children's health .…”

Determinants of how individuals choose, eat and waste: Providing common ground to enhance sustainable food consumption out‐of‐home

“…Related to discussions on the effect of availability of specific food items, a choice between different food options within a food category in contrast to a no‐choice condition has proved to increase the liking and consumption of the respective food category for children. Two intervention studies that either introduced a forced choice (compared to a no‐choice condition) between different F&V (Hakim & Meissen, ) or increased the number of choice options from two to three servings (Cullen, Chen, Dave, & Jensen, ) in school canteens both found increases in the intake of F&V under constant or decreasing shares of leftovers. Rohlfs Domínguez et al () extended these findings by the notion that it did not make a difference whether children had a choice between two vegetables before the beginning of a meal (regular service line) or during their meal (family‐buffet style which allows spontaneous decision making) but that both possibilities of choice increased average vegetable intake compared to a no‐choice condition.…”

Younger Elementary School Students Waste More School Lunch Foods than Older Elementary School Students

“…Five trained data collectors 19 visited each school weekly in an assigned rotation during February and March, 2013, so that the observations were conducted on all days of the week in all eight schools. The menu items were preprinted on observation sheets.…”