School Nutrition Policy Initiative

SCHOOL NUTRITION POLICY INITIATIVE

OVERVIEW

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: Children in 4^th through 6^th grade

The School Nutrition Policy Initiative is a multi-component program designed to prevent overweight and obesity among school children in 4^th through 6^th grade. Five components comprise the program: school self-assessment; nutrition education; nutrition policy; social marketing; and parent outreach. Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) School Health Index, each school assesses its environment on topics such as healthy eating and physical activity; based on this assessment, schools then develop an action plan such as encouraging physical activity. Nutrition education includes students and school staff. Based on the National Center for Education Statistics guidelines, approximately 50 hours of food and nutrition education is delivered to students per academic school year; these sessions link food choices with individual health. In addition, nutrition education is integrated into classroom activities such as using food labels to practice mathematical fractions. School staff receive approximately 10 hours of training and receive curricula along with tips on how to incorporate nutrition and physical activity into classroom lessons. Based on the Dietary Guidelines, school nutrition policies are modified to meet nutritional standards such as serving 100% juice and low-fat milk. With the development of the health message, “Want Strength?...Eat Healthy Foods,” students are continuously exposed to health messages throughout the school. In addition, family outreach is conducted through home and school association meetings, parent education meetings, and weekly nutrition workshops. Students also participate in the 2-1-5 challenge: less than two hours of TV watching; one or more hours of physical activity; and eat five or more fruits and vegetables. The School Nutrition Policy Initiative program has been developed and implemented the by The Food Trust, which is a community-based organization.

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

Foster GD, Sherman S, Borradaile KE, Grundy KM, Vander Veur SS, Nachmani J, Karpyn A, Kumanyika S, Shults J. (2008). A Policy-Based School Intervention to Prevent Overweight and Obesity. Pediatrics, 121:e794-e802.

Evaluated population: A total of 1,349 students participated in the study. Just over one-half of students were girls (53.7%), and the mean age was 11 years. More than 40% of students were overweight or obese and nearly one-quarter (23.8%) were obese at baseline. Among the control group, 47% of students were black, 28% were Asian, 14% were white, 6% were Latino, and 6% were of another race. This study was conducted in schools where more than one-half of students were receiving free or reduced-price meals.

Approach: Schools were the level of random assignment, and 10 schools within the School District of Philadelphia were included. A total of 600 students made up the intervention group, while 749 students made up the control group. Students had their weight and height measurements taken, which were used to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI). Trained staff computed BMI scores. Additionally, students were assessed, through self-report surveys, on the following: total energy consumed, fat consumption, number of fruits and vegetable servings, physical activity, TV viewing, and body image. Students were assessed at baseline as well as at the two-year follow-up period; an interim assessment was collected one year after the baseline assessment. All assessments were conducted during the spring school semester.

The primary outcome of the study was to assess the incidence of overweight and obesity—i.e., percentage of new cases overweight and obesity at the end of the study. The secondary outcomes included the prevalence of overweight and obesity—i.e., percentage of total cases of overweight and obesity at the end of the study; and remission of overweight and obesity—i.e., percentage of cases overweight or obese at the start of the study, but no longer overweight or obese at the end of the study.

Results: There were significant impacts on the incidence and prevalence of overweight at the end of the two-year study period. The impact on the prevalence of overweight also held for black students. There were also impacts on total inactivity and total TV viewing. However, there were no significant differences between the two study groups for the incidence, prevalence, and remission of obesity. There were also no significant differences for the remission of overweight. In addition, there were no significant differences between the two study groups for total energy consumption, total fat consumption, fruit and vegetable consumption, and total physical activity.

There was no significant difference between the two study groups for body dissatisfaction, suggesting there were no adverse impacts on worsening body image. Also, there was no increase in the proportion of students underweight.

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information about The Food Trust and the School Nutrition Initiative, please visit: http://www.thefoodtrust.org/php/programs/comp.school.nutrition.php

References:

SUMMARY & CATEGORIZATION

Program categorized in this guide according to the following:

Evaluated participant ages: Children (3-11)

Program components: School-based

Measured outcomes: Physical Health

KEYWORDS: Children (3-11), Elementary, School-based, Parent/Family Component, Nutrition, Urban, Health Status/Conditions

Program information last updated on 12/6/10.

		© Child Trends 2004