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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Erin L. DeFries, BS¹, Dina Mosher, BS², and Manette Cheshareck, BA². (1) MPH Program, Epidemiology, University of Florida, PO Box 100182, Gainesville, FL 32610-0195, 352-273-6443, edefries@ufl.edu, (2) Chronic Disease Prevention, Health Promotion and Education, Alachua County Health Department, 224 SE 24th St, Gainesville, FL 32641

Obesity rates among Americans have risen drastically during the last few decades, and the trend has not spared American children. To prevent onset of chronic diseases, overweight, obesity, and their associated complications, it is vital children learn to make healthy lifestyle and food choices. This study was intended to determine the impact posting nutrition facts for school lunch foods combined with in-class nutrition education would have on improving middle school students' food choices. Upon analysis, however, several important facts prevented this determination. First, students were offered very few healthy options; an entrée with less than 30% of calories from fat and 10% of calories from saturated fat (USDA standards) was offered only 13 of the 65 days (20.0%) of analysis. Second, although pizza is offered daily, students typically consumed most or all of the other food items offered (mean = 81.5% of healthy options and 87.0% of unhealthy options.) The amount of pizza sold was strongly inversely correlated with the total number of other food servings available (r = -0.730, p<0.0001). Regression analysis shows pizza sales would decrease by 0.42 slices for every one serving increase in other food options. In addition, the cafeteria prepared up to 24 salad and sandwich plates - the most healthy food items offered at the school - each day, all of which were consumed throughout the study period. These data suggest students are not provided adequate healthy options and would eat less pizza given adequate quantities of alternative choices.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the ramifications of the knowledge gap that exists between school food service workers and nutrition professionals.
• Identify strategies for improving nutrition standards of schools in your area.
• Understand the impact quantity of food items offered to students has on their subsequent choices.

Keywords: School Health, Food and Nutrition

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation