Effect of a La Carte and Snack Bar Foods at School on Children's Lunchtime Intake of Fruits and Vegetables

doi:10.1016/S0002-8223(00)00414-4

Journal of the American Dietetic Association

Volume 100, Issue 12, December 2000, Pages 1482-1486

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-8223(00)00414-4 Get rights and content

Abstract

Objectives To compare lunch fruit, juice, and vegetable (FJV) intake of fourth-grade students who receive only National School Lunch Program meals and fifth-grade students who also have access to a school snack bar and to compare FJV intake by meal source among fifth-grade students.

Design Cross-sectional study: students completed FJV preference questionnaires and 5 days of lunch food records in classrooms.

Subjects/setting 312 fourth- and 282 fifth-grade students in south Texas.

Main outcome measures Mean FJV consumption.

Statistical analyses performed Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, analysis of variance, analysis of covariance.

Results Fourth-grade students (n=312) consumed significantly more fruits, juices, and vegetables (0.80 serving) than fifth-grade students (n=282) (0.60 serving). Students whose parents reported a high school education or less consumed more regular and total vegetables than students whose parents reported some college or higher education. There were no interaction effects among gender, grade, ethnic, or family education groups. Fifth-grade students who ate only snack bar meals consumed significantly less total fruits, juices, and vegetables (0.40 serving) than fifth-grade students who ate school lunch meals (0.82 serving). Controlling for FJV preferences did not change the main effect for grade level in the FJV consumption models.

Applications/conclusions FJV consumption during school lunch is low. School foodservice staff should identify FJV items that middle school students prefer and increase availability of those items in middle school cafeterias and snackbars. J Am Diet Assoc. 2000; 100:1482-1486.

Section snippets

Methods

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston. Consent of parents and children was obtained, and participating students received small gifts.

Results

Approximately 80% of fourth-grade students returned signed consent forms: 75% (n=322) agreed and 5% refused to participate. Approximately 72% of fifth-grade students returned signed consent forms: 68% (n=286) agreed and 4% refused to participate. No demographic data were available for the 85 fourth-grade and 118 fifth-grade students who did not return signed consent forms. Lunch food records were collected from 312 fourth- and 282 fifth-grade students (Table 1).

Internal consistency was adequate

Discussion

Our data highlight the contribution of NSLP meals to FJV consumption among school children. FJV consumption was highest among fourth-grade students who did not have access to snack bar foods, when compared with fifth-grade students who were able to choose foods from the snack bar. Fifth-grade students, who selected only the NSLP lunch, reported eating significantly more FJVs (by a factor of 2) than fifth-grade students who chose only snack bar meals and those who brought their lunch from home.

Applications/Conclusions

FJV consumption by middle school students who have access to school snack bars was lower than that of fourth-grade students who only received a NSLP meal or brought lunch from home. Fifth-grade students who chose only snack bar meals reported significantly lower consumption of FJV than fifth-grade students who consumed only the NLSP meal. Low FJV consumption patterns that continue into adulthood may contribute to an increased risk of development of chronic diseases.

■ School foodservice staff

References (33)

K Resnicow et al.
2-Year tracking of children's fruit and vegetable intake
J Am Diet Assoc.
(1998)
K.A Steinmetz et al.
Vegetables, fruit, and cancer preventiona review
J Am Diet Assoc.
(1996)
M Story et al.
Availability of foods in high schoolsis there cause for concern?
J Am Diet Assoc.
(1996)
S.B Domel et al.
Accuracy of fourth and fifth grade students’ food diaries compared to school lunch observation
Am J Clin Nutr.
(1994)
K Cullen et al.
Behavioral or epidemiologic coding of fruit and vegetable consumption from 24-hour dietary recallsresearch question guides choice
J Am Diet Assoc.
(1999)
S.B Domel et al.
Measuring fruit and vegetable preferences among fourth and fifth grade students
Prev Med.
(1993)
S.B Domel et al.
How children remember what they have eaten
J Am Diet Assoc.
(1994)
S.M Krebs-Smith et al.
Fruit and vegetable intakes of children and adolescents in the United States
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med.
(1996)
E Kennedy et al.
What are American children eating? Implications for public policy
Nutr Rev.
(1995)
S Domel et al.
Defining the Year 2000 fruit and vegetable goal
J Am Coll Nutr.
(1993)

T Baranowski et al.

Patterns in children's fruit and vegetable consumption by meal and day of the week

J Am Coll Nutr.

(1997)

B.A Dennison et al.

Fruit and vegetable intake in young children

J Am Coll Nutr.

(1998)

H.S Wright et al.

The 1987-88 Nationwide Food Consumption Surveyan update on the nutrient intake of respondents

Nutr Today.

(1991)

A.D Stein et al.

Variability and tracking of nutrient intakes of preschool children based on multiple administrations of the 24-hour dietary recall

Am J Epidemiol.

(1991)

M.R Singer et al.

The tracking of nutrient intake in young childrenthe Framingham Children's Study

Am J Public Health.

(1995)

S.D Kelder et al.

Longitudinal tracking of adolescent smoking, physical activity, and food choice behaviors

Am J Public Health.

(1994)

Cited by (125)

College-aged men view more foods as snacks than women do
2018, Food Quality and Preference
The perception of food as a snack or a meal influences later caloric consumption (Capaldi, Owens, & Privitera, 2006). In the past 40 years, the intake of snacks increased and main meals decreased in American adults (Kant & Graubard, 2015), but gender differences in which foods are perceived as snacks vs. meals has not been directly investigated. Here, we asked a college-aged sample of men and women to categorize a list of foods as snacks or meals. Two follow-up studies were also conducted that offered a greater assortment of food and the addition of more complex answer choices. All surveys showed that men categorized more foods as snacks as compared to women, particularly sweet and energy-dense foods. These results suggest that snack and meal perceptions by men and women may be reflective of actual eating patterns.
The costs and calorie content of à la carte food items purchased by students during school lunch
2018, Preventive Medicine Reports
School environments influence student food choices. À la carte foods and beverages are often low nutrient and energy dense. This study assessed how much money students spent for these foods, and the total kilocalories purchased per student during the 2012–2013 school year. Six elementary and four intermediate schools in the Houston area provided daily food purchase transaction data, and the cost and the calories for each item. Chi-square analysis assessed differences in the number of students purchasing à la carte items by grade level and school free/reduced-price meal (FRP) eligibility. Analysis of covariance assessed grade level differences in cost and calories of weekly purchases, controlling for FRP eligibility. Intermediate grade students spent significantly more on à la carte food purchases and purchased more calories (both p < 0.001) than elementary school students. Lower socioeconomic status (SES) elementary and intermediate school students purchased fewer à la carte foods compared to those in higher SES schools (p < 0.001). Intermediate school students purchased more à la carte foods and calories from à la carte foods than elementary students. Whether the new competitive food rules in schools improve student food selection and purchase, and dietary intake habits across all grade levels remains unknown.
Implementation of Competitive Food and Beverage Standards in a Sample of Massachusetts Schools: The NOURISH Study (Nutrition Opportunities to Understand Reforms Involving Student Health)
2015, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
During 2012, Massachusetts adopted comprehensive school competitive food and beverage standards that closely align with Institute of Medicine recommendations and Smart Snacks in School national standards.
We examined the extent to which a sample of Massachusetts middle schools and high schools sold foods and beverages that were compliant with the state competitive food and beverage standards after the first year of implementation, and complied with four additional aspects of the regulations.
Observational cohort study with data collected before implementation (Spring 2012) and 1 year after implementation (Spring 2013).
School districts (N=37) with at least one middle school and one high school participated.
Percent of competitive foods and beverages that were compliant with Massachusetts standards and compliance with four additional aspects of the regulations. Data were collected via school site visits and a foodservice director questionnaire.
Multilevel models were used to examine change in food and beverage compliance over time.
More products were available in high schools than middle schools at both time points. The number of competitive beverages and several categories of competitive food products sold in the sample of Massachusetts schools decreased following the implementation of the standards. Multilevel models demonstrated a 47-percentage-point increase in food and 46-percentage-point increase in beverage compliance in Massachusetts schools from 2012 to 2013. Overall, total compliance was higher for beverages than foods.
This study of a group of Massachusetts schools demonstrated the feasibility of schools making substantial changes in response to requirements for healthier competitive foods, even in the first year of implementation.
Lunch, recess and nutrition: Responding to time incentives in the cafeteria
2015, Preventive Medicine
In this study, we evaluate if moving recess before lunch has an effect on the amount of fruits and vegetables elementary school students eat as part of their school-provided lunch.
Participants were 1st–6th grade students from three schools that switched recess from after to before lunch and four similar schools that continued to hold recess after lunch. We collected data for an average of 14 days at each school (4 days during spring 2011, May 3 through June 1, 2011 and 9 days during fall 2011, September 19 through November 11, 2011). All of the schools were in Orem, UT. Data was collected for all students receiving a school lunch and was based on observational plate waste data.
We find that moving recess before lunch increased consumption of fruits and vegetables by 0.16 servings per child (a 54% increase) and increased the fraction of children eating at least one serving of fruits or vegetables by 10 percentage points (a 45% increase). In contrast, the schools in our control group actually experienced a small reduction in fruit and vegetable consumption during the same time period.
Our results show the benefits of holding recess before lunch and suggest that if more schools implement this policy, there would be significant increases in fruit and vegetable consumption among students who eat school lunch as part of the National School Lunch Program.
School food reduces household income disparities in adolescents' frequency of fruit and vegetable intake
2014, Preventive Medicine
The aim of this study is to examine whether school food attenuates household income-related disparities in adolescents' frequency of fruit and vegetable intake (FVI).
Telephone surveys were conducted between 2007 and 2008 with adolescent-parent dyads from Northern New England; participants were randomly assigned to be surveyed at different times throughout the year. The main analysis comprised 1542 adolescents who typically obtained breakfast/lunch at school at least once/week. FVI was measured using 7-day recall of the number of times adolescents consumed fruits and vegetables. Fully adjusted linear regression was used to compare FVI among adolescents who were surveyed while school was in session (currently exposed to school food) to those who were surveyed when school was not in session (currently unexposed to school food).
Mean FVI was 8.0 (SD = 5.9) times/week. Among adolescents unexposed to school food, household income and FVI were strongly, positively associated. In contrast, among adolescents exposed to school food, FVI was similar across all income categories. We found a significant cross-over interaction between school food and household income in which consuming food at school was associated with higher FVI among adolescents from low-income households versus lower FVI among adolescents from high-income households.
School food may mitigate income disparities in adolescent FVI. The findings suggest that the school food environment positively influences FVI among low-income adolescents.
Effect of culinary education curriculum on Mediterranean diet adherence and food cost savings in families: A randomised controlled trial
2021, Public Health Nutrition

View all citing articles on Scopus

View full text

Effect of a La Carte and Snack Bar Foods at School on Children's Lunchtime Intake of Fruits and Vegetables

Abstract

Section snippets

Methods

Results

Discussion

Applications/Conclusions

J Am Diet Assoc.

J Am Diet Assoc.

J Am Diet Assoc.

Am J Clin Nutr.

J Am Diet Assoc.

Prev Med.

J Am Diet Assoc.

Fruit and vegetable intakes of children and adolescents in the United States

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med.

What are American children eating? Implications for public policy

Nutr Rev.

Defining the Year 2000 fruit and vegetable goal

J Am Coll Nutr.

Patterns in children's fruit and vegetable consumption by meal and day of the week

J Am Coll Nutr.

Fruit and vegetable intake in young children

J Am Coll Nutr.

The 1987-88 Nationwide Food Consumption Surveyan update on the nutrient intake of respondents

Nutr Today.

Variability and tracking of nutrient intakes of preschool children based on multiple administrations of the 24-hour dietary recall

Am J Epidemiol.

The tracking of nutrient intake in young childrenthe Framingham Children's Study

Am J Public Health.

Longitudinal tracking of adolescent smoking, physical activity, and food choice behaviors

Am J Public Health.