The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #70797

Deanna M. Hoelscher, PhD, RD, LD, CNS, Human Nutrition Center, Univ. of Texas-Houston School of Public Health, 1200 Herman Pressler, RAS W920, Houston, TX 77030, 713-500-9335, Deanna.M.Hoelscher@uth.tmc.edu, Paul Mitchell, MS, New England Research Institutes, 9 Galen Street, Suite 117, Watertown, MA 02472, Johanna T. Dwyer, DSc, RD, Frances Stern Nutrition Center, Department of Medicine, New England Medical Center, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Box 783, FSNC 750 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111, Stavroula Osganian, MD, ScD, Children's Hospital, Harvard University, Department of Medicine, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, John P. Elder, PhD, MPH, Center for Behavioral and Community Health Studies, San Diego State University, 9245 Sky Park Court, San Diego, CA 92123, Ann Clesi, MEd, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal St., Room 2049, New Orleans, LA 70112, and Leslie A. Lytle, PhD RD, Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, 1300 South Second Street, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454.

Eat Smart, the school food service component of the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH), was implemented during 1991-1994, before USDA School Meal Initiative (SMI) standards were enacted. Nutritional goals of Eat Smart were to provide meals with <30% energy from fat, <10% energy from saturated fat, and a sodium content of 600-1000 mg while maintaining levels of USDA nutrients, goals consistent with SMI standards. This study describes implementation of SMI standards in school lunch menus in former CATCH schools (n= 56 intervention, 20 control) 5 years post-intervention, compared to 12 schools previously unexposed to CATCH. School cafeteria personnel completed questionnaires to assess CATCH guideline implementation, demographic data, behavioral constructs, training, program material use, and participation in competing programs. Five days of menus and recipes were collected from cafeteria staff, averaged, and compared to SMI standards. Food service personnel from former intervention and control schools were significantly more likely to have heard of CATCH than those in unexposed schools (83.9% and 75.0% versus 8.3%); intervention schools were significantly more likely to have been trained than control and unexposed schools (57.1% compared to 15.0% and 0%, respectively). The mean percent energy from fat (30.7%) and saturated fat (10.4%) from intervention schools came closest to meeting SMI standards. School lunch menus from former intervention schools were significantly lower in percent energy from fat compared to menus from former control schools (30.7 + 0.4% versus 33.2%, p=0.004). Eat Smart assisted school cafeterias in meeting SMI standards 5 years post implementation.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this presentation, the participant will be able to:
• Describe the nutritional goals of the CATCH Eat Smart program and compare to USDA School Meal Initiative (SMI) standards.
• Evaluate maintenance of Eat Smart program in school cafeterias 5 years after the main trial intervention.
• Describe how SMI standards are implemented in former CATCH trial intervention and control schools compared to schools unexposed to CATCH.
• Identify implications of this work for obesity prevention efforts through school food service policies.

Keywords: School-Based Programs, Nutrition

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.