Interventions for improving nutritional content of school meals: Lessons learned from suburban Cook County CPPW

Introduction: The Suburban Cook County Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative funded school districts to improve school meal (SM) nutritional quality through its “Model Communities” program. SM are an important source of nutrition for students. Thus, improving SM nutritional quality could have significant impact on student nutrition. SCC has chosen not to prescribe a particular intervention but rather has encouraged Model Communities to make changes that are appropriate to their context and sustainable in their districts. In this presentation we review the variety of SM interventions implemented by SCC Model Communities. Methods: We conducted interviews with school personnel representing 10 SCC elementary schools funded under the Model Communities program. The interviews explored school SM interventions in-depth including timing, changes in plans, operation details, barriers and facilitators, staff and student reactions and sustainability. Qualitative methods using constant comparative techniques are used to analyze data. Results: Interviews were conducted in winter 2012. Preliminary themes identified include: the necessity of having a “change champion”, need for clear communication between the districts and schools, and time and cost constraints. Discussion: These data add to practical understanding of scope and reach of SM interventions and identification of necessary resources to accomplish and sustain SM interventions in a variety of school contexts.