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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Rebecca S. Davids, MSc, RD, Michael Prelip, MPH, DPA, and Stephanie Vecchiarelli, MPH, EdD. School of Public Health, UCLA, Box 95-1772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, 310-267-2946, davidsr@ucla.edu

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Nutrition Network offers nutrition education programming and support to low-income schools in the LAUSD. Schools develop individual action plans to describe how they will integrate nutrition education into the classroom. Over 320 Title 1 schools participated in the LAUSD Nutrition Network during the 2005-2006 school year. The purpose of the study was to measure the impact of different levels of exposure to LAUSD Nutrition Network programs on both the determinants of fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption and physical activity. The study aimed to answer the following research questions: what is the impact of LAUSD Nutrition Network programs on students' FV and physical activity knowledge, attitudes and behaviors; and, does having a higher level of exposure to nutrition education and Nutrition Network programs have a greater impact on the determinants of FV consumption and physical activity compared to lower exposure? Fifteen LAUSD elementary schools were randomly selected to participate in the study, 12 intervention schools and 3 matched control schools. A questionnaire measuring FV and physical activity knowledge, attitudes and behaviors was group administered to students in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. The amount of time spent on nutrition education was self-reported by teachers. A comparison of FV frequencies between intervention and control schools and between levels of nutrition education exposure (high, medium and low, based on the amount of time spent on nutrition education activities) will be presented.

Learning Objectives:

1.Participants will be able to describe the results of the impact evaluation
• Participants will be able to describe a school-based nutrition education intervention.
• Participants will be able to describe the impact of varying levels of nutrition education exposure on the dietary and physical activity behaviors of elementary aged children.

Keywords: Nutrition, School-Based Programs

Related Web page: www.ph.ucla.edu/chs/nfsc

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered