262701 Evaluation of menu changes at a large school district meal program in Los Angeles County

Monday, October 29, 2012

Lindsey Burbage, MPH , Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Patricia Cummings, MPH , County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Health, Office of Senior Health, Los Angeles, CA
Michelle Wood, MPP , Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Paul Simon, MD, MPH , County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Health, Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Los Angeles, CA
Tony Kuo, MD, MSHS , County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Health, Office of Senior Health, Los Angeles, CA
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health received CPPW funding to implement an obesity prevention project in LA County. Through this funding, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) adopted and implemented menu changes for school-year (SY) 2011-12 to improve the nutritional composition of the food offered in their cafeterias. We evaluated LAUSD's progress towards complying with the dietary requirements of the USDA's Final Rule for National School Lunch Program (NSLP, compliance by SY 2012-13) and Breakfast Program (SBP, compliance by SY 2013-14). Among LAUSD students, 27% are obese—6% higher than the county average. With 78% of LAUSD students qualifying for free or reduced-priced meals, changing the school-cafeteria environment represents a plausible way to effectively reduce childhood obesity prevalence. A comparative analysis of the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 SY menus sampling the October food offerings. T-tests were performed for each meal-category (elementary-breakfast/-lunch, secondary-breakfast/-lunch), which were compared by calories, total-fat, saturated-fat, and trans-fat. Results: Total calories dropped in all meal-categories, except for secondary-lunch where no difference was detected. The breakfast menus improved significantly; calories dropped by 58.3% for secondary-breakfast and 41.1% for elementary-breakfast (mean for both=350.7, 95% CL:273.5,428.0), Calories from total-fat and saturated-fat stayed firm, with total-fat <30% and saturated-fat <8% of total-calories. Trans-fat was <1g for all meals. In general, the menus improved in SY 2011-12. LAUSD's 2011-12 menus met the NSLP and SBP standards for calories, and calories from total-fat and saturated-fat. Further evaluation regarding compliance with the food-based requirements of the NSLP and SBP are important next steps.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines

Learning Objectives:
-Describe the improved nutritional content of LAUSD’s school meals offered in SY 2011-2012. -Discuss LAUSD’s current compliance with the new dietary requirements USDA's Final Rule for NSLP and SBP.

Keywords: Obesity, School-Based Programs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am one of the principal evaluators for the CPPW grant in Los Angeles County. I have presented in several national public health conference sessions. I hold BA from Vassar College and an MPH from UCLA. I am an Epidemiology Analyst at Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. I previously worked as a research associate for the California Family Health Council.
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.

Back to: 3407.0: Improving Student Healthy Eating and Healthy Weight