Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

Abstract #164730

Amanda Cash, MPH, College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 801 NE 13th Street, Room 139, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, 405-271-8001x46727, amanda-cash@ouhsc.edu

Childhood obesity is a public health crisis, and while general acceptance and recognition of the epidemic of childhood obesity is more commonplace solutions are still challenging.

The purpose of this community-based participatory research is to evaluate if a multi-faceted pilot intervention can successfully prevent an increased body mass index of children in four local elementary schools. One component of the intervention is the modification of the National School Lunch Program to reflect more healthful options that remain within the USDA Guidelines for the National School Lunch Program.

The research team conducted a cross-sectional plate waste study to evaluate the macronutrient content, number of servings from food groups in USDA's Food Guide Pyramid, determine any significant food intake differences or trends among different ages/grades, compare the meals served and the actual amount eaten, and caloric intake of students whose lunches are provided by the school via the National School Lunch Program pre- and post-intervention in pre-kindergarten through grade 5.

School-level data were collected over a 5-day period to create a snapshot of the school-food environment and to assess consumption patterns. ANOVAs were performed for continuous variables of interest to determine if the mean intake was for each question of interest.

Pre-intervention, second graders consumed the highest amounts of macronutrients and carbohydrate than any other grade. Follow-up data is currently being analyzed to compare pre- and post-intervention results from adding a salad bar as an option in addition to a hot lunch.

Learning Objectives:

• Apply new methods of evaluating school lunch programs to identify challenges of providing healthful food options in an elementary school setting.
• Analyze cross-sectional data to identify consumption patterns of elementary school children who access the National School Lunch Program.
• List three methods elementary schools can use plate waste data to increase consumption of healthful lunchtime options.

Keywords: Obesity, School-Based Programs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.