TY - JOUR
T1 - Changes in School Food Preparation Methods Result in Healthier Cafeteria Lunches in Elementary Schools
AU - Behrens, Timothy K.
AU - Liebert, Mina L.
AU - Peterson, Hannah J.
AU - Howard Smith, Jennifer
AU - Sutliffe, Jay T.
AU - Day, Aubrey
AU - Mack, Jodi
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank LiveWell Colorado Springs and their community partners for their assistance in data collection. This project was funded in part by Kaiser Permanente Colorado. The authors acknowledge and thank Kaiser Permanente for financial support. TKB drafted the manuscript, assisted in study design and analysis and interpretation of data. ML conceptualized the study and assisted with data collection, data interpretation, and drafting the manuscript. HJP assisted with drafting the manuscript and data interpretation. JHS assisted with study design, data analysis, data interpretation, and drafting the manuscript. JTS assisted with data interpretation and drafting of the manuscript. AD assisted with study design and conceptualization, and drafting of the manuscript. JM assisted with data analysis, data interpretation, and drafting the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American Journal of Preventive Medicine
PY - 2018/5
Y1 - 2018/5
N2 - Introduction: The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a districtwide food best practices and preparation changes in elementary schools lunches, implemented as part of the LiveWell@School childhood obesity program, funded by LiveWell Colorado/Kaiser Permanente Community Health Initiative. Methods: Longitudinal study examining how school changes in best practices for food preparation impacted the types of side items offered from 2009 to 2015 in elementary school cafeterias in a high-need school district in southern Colorado. Specifically, this study examined changes in side items (fruits, vegetables, potatoes, breads, and desserts). In Phase 1 (2009–2010), baseline data were collected. During Phase 2 (2010–2011), breaded and processed foods (e.g., frozen nuggets, pre-packaged pizza) were removed and school chefs were trained on scratch cooking methods. Phase 3 (2011–2012) saw an increased use of fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables after a new commodity order. During Phase 4 (2013–2015), chef consulting and training took place. The frequency of side offerings was tracked across phases. Analyses were completed in Fall 2016. Because of limited sample sizes, data from Phases 2 to 4 (intervention phases) were combined for potatoes and desserts. Descriptive statistics were calculated. After adjusting for length of time for each phase, Pearson chi-square tests were conducted to examine changes in offerings of side items by phase. Results: Fresh fruit offerings increased and canned fruit decreased in Phases 1–4 (p=0.001). A significant difference was observed for vegetables (p=0.001), with raw and steamed vegetables increasing and canned vegetables decreasing from Phase 1 to 4. Fresh potatoes (low in sodium) increased and fried potatoes (high in sodium) decreased from Phase 1 to Phases 2–4 (p=0.001). Breads were eliminated entirely in Phase 2, and dessert changes were not significant (p=0.927). Conclusions: This approach to promoting healthier lunch sides is a promising paradigm for improving elementary cafeteria food offerings. Supplement information: This article is part of a supplement entitled Building Thriving Communities Through Comprehensive Community Health Initiatives, which is sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, Community Health.
AB - Introduction: The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a districtwide food best practices and preparation changes in elementary schools lunches, implemented as part of the LiveWell@School childhood obesity program, funded by LiveWell Colorado/Kaiser Permanente Community Health Initiative. Methods: Longitudinal study examining how school changes in best practices for food preparation impacted the types of side items offered from 2009 to 2015 in elementary school cafeterias in a high-need school district in southern Colorado. Specifically, this study examined changes in side items (fruits, vegetables, potatoes, breads, and desserts). In Phase 1 (2009–2010), baseline data were collected. During Phase 2 (2010–2011), breaded and processed foods (e.g., frozen nuggets, pre-packaged pizza) were removed and school chefs were trained on scratch cooking methods. Phase 3 (2011–2012) saw an increased use of fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables after a new commodity order. During Phase 4 (2013–2015), chef consulting and training took place. The frequency of side offerings was tracked across phases. Analyses were completed in Fall 2016. Because of limited sample sizes, data from Phases 2 to 4 (intervention phases) were combined for potatoes and desserts. Descriptive statistics were calculated. After adjusting for length of time for each phase, Pearson chi-square tests were conducted to examine changes in offerings of side items by phase. Results: Fresh fruit offerings increased and canned fruit decreased in Phases 1–4 (p=0.001). A significant difference was observed for vegetables (p=0.001), with raw and steamed vegetables increasing and canned vegetables decreasing from Phase 1 to 4. Fresh potatoes (low in sodium) increased and fried potatoes (high in sodium) decreased from Phase 1 to Phases 2–4 (p=0.001). Breads were eliminated entirely in Phase 2, and dessert changes were not significant (p=0.927). Conclusions: This approach to promoting healthier lunch sides is a promising paradigm for improving elementary cafeteria food offerings. Supplement information: This article is part of a supplement entitled Building Thriving Communities Through Comprehensive Community Health Initiatives, which is sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, Community Health.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85045210606&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85045210606&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.amepre.2018.01.008
DO - 10.1016/j.amepre.2018.01.008
M3 - Article
C2 - 29680113
AN - SCOPUS:85045210606
SN - 0749-3797
VL - 54
SP - S139-S144
JO - American Journal of Preventive Medicine
JF - American Journal of Preventive Medicine
IS - 5
ER -