Behavioral impact of a school-based healthy eating intervention for at-risk children
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Abstract
Child health promotion is a salient public health goal. Childhood obesity rates
have risen dramatically over the past few decades with more than 20% of youths
overweight or obese by the time they enter middle school. Population-based strategies
including those delivered through schools are needed to positively impact this trend.
The IMOVE program evaluation, a quasi-experimental study involving one intervention
and one comparison school, examines the influence of a school-based healthy eating
program in a middle school cafeteria serving low-income, racially-diverse adolescents.
Study 1 examined the association between the availability of healthy lunch meals
(IMOVE meals) in school cafeterias and lunch and snack food purchase patterns of
students. The introduction of IMOVE resulted in significantly less participation in
purchase of low nutritional quality snack foods from fall to spring term. Students in both
schools had similarly high participation in school lunch all year long, suggesting that
IMOVE participation was sustainable.
Study 2 examined the association between body mass index and purchase of
IMOVE and standard school lunch meals in the intervention school. This study also
identified sociodemographic predictors of participation in the school lunch program.
Students who were overweight or obese had a significantly higher rate of purchase of both types of lunches, but even more so for standard school lunch than for IMOVE
meals, compared to students who were not overweight/obese. Other characteristics
significantly associated with participation in IMOVE and standard school lunch were nonwhite
race, sixth grade, and low-income status.
Study 3 examined the association between exposure to !MOVE and total daily
food and nutrient intake measured using an abbreviated food screener before and after
the intervention. At follow-up, students in the !MOVE school consumed sugary
beverages and higher-fat milk offerings less often in their daily diets than students in the
comparison school.
Efforts to combat childhood obesity through changes in the school food
environment have some impact, but require the support of policy action and nutrition
education initiatives to be most effective. The !MOVE program proved feasible,
acceptable, and sustainable, providing a model upon which to build additional
intervention components to more comprehensively impact student wellness.
Description
2011
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This work is being made available in OpenBU by permission of its author, and is available for research purposes only. All rights are reserved to the author.