School Salad Bar Use is Associated with Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among U.S. High School Students

Limited studies in elementary schools indicate that salad bars may increase fruit (F) and vegetable (V) consumption in students. To determine if student use of high school salad bars was associated with intake, we analyzed data (n= 11,429) from the 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Study (NYPANS), a cross-sectional, school-based study that included measurements of height and weight, and a survey of physical activity and dietary behaviors among a nationally representative sample of students in grades 9-12. Students were asked "When you get lunch at school, what do you usually get?" Fruit and vegetable intake over the past 7 days was measured using six survey items (fruit, 100% fruit juice, green salad, potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables). SUDAAN statistical package was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for eating both F ≥2 times/day and V ≥3 times/day (≥5 F&V) using logistic regression models adjusted for race/ethnicity, grade, sex, and obesity. Results indicate that among students who at least sometimes get lunch at school (73.1%), those who answered "salad bar from the school cafeteria" (6.5%) had 2.8 (95% CI: 1.9-4.1) times the odds of eating ≥5 F&V compared to those who had a complete school lunch (68.3%). This analysis suggests that high school students who use a school salad bar are significantly more likely to eat ≥5 F&V, supporting public health efforts such as Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools to increase the prevalence of school salad bars.