Evaluation of a multi-component intervention to prevent obesity in elementary school children

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.