Policy that restricts the availability of unhealthy snack foods in schools is associated with greater fruit and vegetable consumption in a nationally representative sample of 5th grade children. These findings suggest that a restrictive snack policy should be part of a multi-faceted approach to improve children’s diet quality.
Archive for category School nutrition
Giving pupils a bigger role in the production of food boosts enthusiasm for healthy meals.
836 Australian kids between 13 and 15 years had their mental health assessed using the Child Behaviour Checklist with higher scores representing poorer behaviour. A high-quality breakfast consisting of at least three food groups was consumed by 11 % of adolescents, while 7 % of adolescents did not eat breakfast. For every additional food group eaten at breakfast, the associated total mental health score decreased by 1.66. These findings support the concept that breakfast quality is an important component in the complex interaction between lifestyle factors and mental health in early adolescence.
SCHOOL FOOD UNWRAPPED
Nov 25
This 9-page report is based on data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Cohort and a representative sample of more than 22,000 children from kindergarten entry in the fall of 1998 through fifth grade in 2004. Sweets could be purchased in approximately 69% of schools with fifthgrade classrooms. Salty snacks and sodas, sports drinks, or fruit drinks that were not 100-percent juice were available in nearly one-half of these schools.
Perishable Pundit collected lots of details on the process behind getting the school fruit and vegetable schemes in Europe adopted. And the challenges ahead.
Better Canadian School Food
Nov 21
Canadian dietitians are commending food service establishments for their enhanced efforts to improve the nutritional value of food served in schools. They are continually adding reformulated products to the Brand Name Food List (www.brandnamefoodlist.ca) that previously could not be sold to students because they were too low in nutrients and too high in calories, fat, sugar and/or salt.
This longitudinal study based on 896 Norwegian adolescents conclude that perceived accessibility appears to be the strongest mediator of the relationship between adolescents’ FV intake and their parents’ educational level and income and may therefore be an important target for future interventions that aim to reduce socioeconomic disparities in adolescents’ FV intake.
Karen Lock and Joia de Sa wrote this review of school fruit and vegetable programmes. School schemes are effective at increasing both intake and knowledge. Of the 30 studies included, 70% increased fruits and vegetables (FV) intake, with none decreasing intake. Twenty-three studies had follow-up periods >1 year and provide some evidence that FV schemes can have long-term impacts on consumption. Only one study led to both increased fruit and vegetable intake and reduction in weight.
5200 grade 5 students in Nova Scotia, Canada, and their parents were i 2003 surveyed as part of the Children’s Lifestyle and School-performance Study. The study demonstrate an association between diet quality and academic performance and identify specific dietary factors that contribute to this association.
Burger King Corp, the world’s second-largest hamburger chain, on Wednesday said it will limit sodium to max 600 milligrams in all of its Kids Meals advertised to children younger than 12. BK claims to to be the first fast-food restaurant chain to take that step. About time, I think.