259268 Creating nutrition policy change: What's on the plates in school cafeterias?

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 : 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM

Martha M. Phillips, PhD, MPH, MBA , College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
Melanie Goodell, MPH , College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
Amanda Philyaw Perez, MPH , University of Arkansas at Little Rock, College of Public Health, Little Rock, AR
Rebecca Krukowski, PhD , Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Public Health, Little Rock, AR
James M. Raczynski, PhD , College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
T. Elaine Prewitt, DrPH , Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
Background: Attention is focused on the quality of school meals. Initiatives at national, state, and local levels seek to encourage schools to modify meal contents to provide more fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and reduce fat and sugar, while maintaining federal requirement compliance. Purpose: As part of the evaluation of Arkansas Act 1220 of 2003, on-site observations of school meals throughout Arkansas were completed to understand school nutrition environments. Methods: Observations were completed in a purposeful sample of 151 school cafeterias (14% of Arkansas' public schools) during the period December 2008 to May 2011. Items offered at lunch in both plate and a-la-carte lines were assessed using the School Cafeteria Nutrition Assessment instrument, a meal assessment tool. Scoring algorithms based on IOM's dietary recommendations evaluated offerings of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, desserts, entrees, side dishes, and beverages. Findings/Results: Of the 151 cafeterias observed, 82.3% offered at least 1 fruit serving, and 58.9% offered at least 2 vegetable servings. However, 17.2% offered no fruit, and 2.0% offered no visible vegetable serving. Further, the majority (79.5%) of cafeterias offered no whole grains. Fat was added to many entrees and side dishes, often in the form of butter or cheese. Virtually all schools included low-fat or skim milk among options available to students, but few meals offered water. Conclusions: Schools strive to provide healthy meals within severe budgetary constraints and stringent federal requirements. These findings suggest that improvements to school food environments are needed for meeting national standards.

Learning Areas:
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the current status of school meal contents as observed 2. Discuss the implications of current meal contents for meeting new federal meal requirements

Keywords: Food and Nutrition, Child Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Evaluation Director for the Evaluation of Act 1220 of 2003 project, from which these data were derived. I am a PhD epidemiologist doing research in school-based policy to prevent and control childhood obesity. I have extensive experience community-based participatory research, data management and analysis, evaluation of statewide and community-based health promotion programs and policy interventions. I served two years as Director, Center for Public Health Practice for the Arkansas Department of Health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

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.