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The article discusses research regarding diet- and physical activity (PA)-related seasonal differences among African-American girls in 2013-2014, and it mentions how the girls studied tended to consume higher amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and take less steps per day during the summer months. The risk of obesity for African-American girls is examined, along with analyses of the dietary and PA habits of 8-10 year-old girls in the Houston, Texas area.

Purpose: This study assessed student perceptions of school meals under the new federal meal patterns for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Student feedback is instrumental in developing strategies to increase and maintain NSLP participation, satisfaction, and ultimately provide students with a healthy meal. Methods: Anonymous questionnaires were completed by 1,867 6th to 8th grade students in the Houston, Texas area during Spring 2013. Analysis of variance was used to assess whether student perceptions about school meals, fruit/vegetables/whole grain consumption, and staff attentiveness varied by grade level, gender, school free/reduced price (FRP) meal eligibility, or frequency of eating school lunch. The top five reasons why participants choose to eat school lunch were also assessed. Results: Sixth graders (p < .001) reported greater satisfaction with the NSLP meal than other grades, while students from schools with higher FRP eligibility reported less satisfaction (p < .001) than other schools. Sixth graders (p < .001), as well as boys (p = .015), were more likely to report selecting and consuming fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Students from schools with higher FRP eligibility (p < .001) and students who reported eating school lunch more frequently (p < .001) were more satisfied with staff attentiveness. The most popular reason for eating school lunch was "I am hungry". The least popular reasons for participating in the NSLP were "I get a balanced meal", and "It prepares me for after school activities". Applications to Child Nutrition Professionals: This study documents that satisfying all students receiving NSLP meals is multifaceted. Findings suggest the need for schools to engage students in ongoing evaluations of school meals, and to respond to identified concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Objectives: To assist school food authorities (SFAs) in overcoming some of the challenges associated with implementing the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducted the Team Up for School Nutrition Success Pilot Workshop in the Southeast USDA Region. Fiftytwo SFAs attended a two-day peer-to-peer mentoring workshop to support the development of goals and action plans. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the application of the workshop on achieving SFAs' goals and action plans established during the workshop. Methods: Participants were asked to provide written consent from their superintendent and their personal consent for participating in the follow-up evaluation. Data were collected three, six and 12 months after the workshop using structured telephone interviews and electronic surveys. Results: Twenty-five SFAs (48%) agreed to participate in the study and were interviewed at three months. Fourteen SFAs (27% of those that agreed to participate) completed the six-month survey, and 15 (29%) completed the 12-month survey. The low participation rate was a limitation of the study. The evaluation results showed that many SFAs were able to achieve some outcomes from their action plans. Unfortunately, time and finances were significant barriers. Overall, the SFAs were very positive about the workshop and wanted to see the program made available to all SFAs. Application of Results: The results of this project were communicated to ICN and USDA as they began to expand Team Up for School Nutrition Success Initiative to each of the remaining six USDA regions. To reach even more SFAs, the next expansion step made customized Team Up trainings available at the state level to benefit all SFAs in each state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose/Objectives: The purpose of this study is to report the impact of the three-year middle school-based HEALTHY study on intervention school vending machine offerings. There were two goals for the vending machines: serve only dessert/snack foods with 200 kilocalories or less per single serving package, and eliminate 100% fruit juice and beverages with added sugar. Methods: Six schools in each of seven cities (Houston, TX, San Antonio, TX, Irvine, CA, Portland, OR, Pittsburg, PA, Philadelphia, PA, and Chapel Hill, NC) were randomized into intervention (n=21 schools) or control (n=21 schools) groups, with three intervention and three control schools per city. All items in vending machine slots were tallied twice in the fall of 2006 for baseline data and twice at the end of the study, in 2009. The percentage of total slots for each food/beverage category was calculated and compared between intervention and control schools at the end of study, using the Pearson chi-square test statistic. Results: At baseline, 15 intervention and 15 control schools had beverage and/or snack vending machines, compared with 11 intervention and 11 control schools at the end of the study. At the end of study, all of the intervention schools with beverage vending machines, but only one out of the nine control schools, met the beverage goal. The snack goal was met by all of the intervention schools and only one of the four control schools with snack vending machines. Applications to Child Nutrition Professionals: The HEALTHY study’s vending machine beverage and snack goals were successfully achieved in intervention schools, reducing access to less healthy food items outside the school meals program. Although the effect of these changes on student diet, energy balance and growth is unknown, these results suggest that healthier options for snacks can successfully be offered in school vending machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: BackgroundFruit, juice, and vegetable (FJV) consumption among children is low. Innovative programs are needed to enable children to increase FJV intake. Psychoeducational multimedia permits the delivery of interventions as designed and capitalizes on known behavior change principles.: DesignElementary school was the unit of recruitment, assignment, and analysis. Twenty-six elementary schools were pair matched on size and percentage of free or reduced-price lunch, and randomly assigned to treatment or control groups. Data were collected just before and just after the program.: Setting/participantsAll fourth-grade students in participating elementary schools were invited to participate. Data were collected on 1578 students.: Main outcomeServings of fruit, 100% juice, and vegetables consumed.: InterventionSquire’s Quest! is a ten-session, psychoeducational, multimedia game delivered over 5 weeks, with each session lasting about 25 minutes. Based on social cognitive theory, educational activities attempted to increase preferences for FJV through multiple exposures and associating fun with their consumption, increase asking behaviors for FJV at home and while eating out, and increase skills in FJV preparation through making virtual recipes.: MeasuresFour days of dietary intake were assessed before and after the intervention. Assessment was made by the Food Intake Recording Software System (FIRSSt), which conducts a multiple pass, 24-hour dietary intake interview directly with the children.: ResultsChildren participating in Squire’s Quest! increased their FJV consumption by 1.0 servings more than the children not receiving the program.: ConclusionsPsychoeducational multimedia games have the potential to substantially change dietary behavior. More research is warranted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The impact of goal attainment in a dietary change program to increase fruit, 100% juice, and vegetable consumption was assessed among fourth-grade students. At each session, the students were given goals related to increasing fruit, juice, and vegetable consumption. Baseline consumption and postconsumption were assessed with up to 4 days of computerized dietary recalls. Analyses included regression models predicting postconsumption from the numbers of fruit-juice goals, vegetable goals, or total number of general goals attained, respectively. For students with low baseline fruit-juice preferences, attaining more fruit-juice goals resulted in increased post-fruit-juice consumption. Among those with low baseline vegetable consumption, attaining one vegetable goal was related to higher post-vegetable consumption. For boys and those with high baseline fruit, juice, and vegetable consumption, attaining three general goals was related to increased fruit, juice, and vegetable intake. The results show that goal attainment was somewhat effective in promoting dietary change among children.