Navigation
Implementation of a multi-component school lunch environmental change intervention to improve child fruit and vegetable intake: A mixed-methods study
As part of this 2020 study, school nutrition services and extension staff were called to undertake a multi-component intervention in 3 rural elementary school cafeterias. The intervention involved decorating the cafeteria, forming creative names, applying taste tests, and setting up flavor stations. Monthly food waste coming from students’ plates were monitored over 8 months, and the school nutrition services staff were interviewed (after the intervention) on the acceptability and feasibility of the program. Although the level of food consumption was inconsistent across schools and time points, it was revealed that the children ate more fruits at school 1 during the taste test and flavor station intervention months, and at school 2 during the creative names intervention months (compared to pre-intervention). Also, the students at school 3 were three times as likely to choose to eat vegetables during the taste test intervention months as before the intervention. Cafeteria decorations and taste tests seemed to be more acceptable and feasible to implement when compared with other interventions. Nudge interventions (that alter the environment to achieve a desired behavior while maintaining the person’s ability to choose) are promising strategies for improving vegetable selection and consumption in school meal programs. [NPID: school, elementary school, nutrition, school cafeteria, cafeteria food, school nutrition, intervention, vegetables, eating veg, school meals, school programs]
Year: 2020
