5-a-Day Power Plus: Process Evaluation of a Multicomponent Elementary School Program to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

2000 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Story ◽  
Rita Warren Mays ◽  
Donald B. Bishop ◽  
Cheryl L. Perry ◽  
Gretchen Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parental Involvement ◽  
Process Evaluation ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
School Food ◽  
School Food Service ◽  
Fifth Grade Students ◽  
Service Staff

The 5-a-Day Power Plus program targeted multiethnic fourth- and fifth-grade students in 10 intervention and 10 control urban elementary schools in St. Paul, Minnesota, to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. The intervention included behavioral curricula in classrooms, parental involvement, school food service changes, and food industry support. Process evaluation was conducted by using surveys and classroom and lunchroom observations to assess the characteristics of teachers and food service staff, the degree the intervention was implemented as intended, and external factors that may have affected the program results. Results showed high levels of participation, dose, and fidelity for all of the intervention components, with the exception of parental involvement. The process evaluation findings help explain why the increase in fruit and vegetable consumption occurred mostly at school lunch and not at home. Future intervention research should focus on creating new and potent strategies for parental involvement and for increasing the appeal and availability of vegetables.

scholarly journals Middle School Students’ Perceptions of the Lunchroom: Implications for Future Interventions

2020 ◽  
pp. 105984052092850
Author(s):  
Natoshia Askelson ◽  
Grace Ryan ◽  
Patrick Brady ◽  
Cristian L. Meier ◽  
Patti Delger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Food Service ◽  
School Lunch ◽  
School Students ◽  
School Food ◽  
School Food Service ◽  
Service Staff ◽  
School Lunch Programs

The National School Lunch Program provides nutritious and inexpensive lunches, but low participation and food waste are challenges in many schools. Interventions aim to improve participation in the program, but little is known about how students’ perceptions affect their participation. This study explored how middle school students in a rural state perceive school food service staff, food served, and lunchroom atmosphere. An online survey was administered to middle school students at six schools participating in a larger lunchroom intervention. Mean perception scores were calculated for all measures. Multilevel logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between perceptions and consumption. Overall perceptions of staff, food, and atmosphere were positive, and students classified as school lunch eaters had more positive perceptions in all three areas than noneaters. Interventions to increase participation in school lunch programs and promote consumption of healthy food items should address multiple factors that contribute to school lunch participation.

scholarly journals Promotions to increase lower-fat food choices among students in secondary schools: description and outcomes of TACOS (Trying Alternative Cafeteria Options in Schools)

2004 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 665-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayne A Fulkerson ◽  
Simone A French ◽  
Mary Story ◽  
Helen Nelson ◽  
Peter J Hannan
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Nutrition Intervention ◽  
School Level ◽  
School Food ◽  
Research Staff ◽  
School Food Service ◽  
Service Staff ◽  
Food Sales ◽  
A La Carte

AbstractObjectives:(1) To describe promotional activities, particularly student-led, targeting lower-fat à la carte foods that were conducted in secondary schools; and (2) to describe the relationships between the number and duration of total promotional activities for lower-fat à la carte foods and cafeteria sales of such foods over two years.Design:Promotional activities were implemented in schools that were randomised to the intervention condition of a larger, two-year, school-based, randomised, controlled nutrition intervention trial.Setting:Ten Minnesota secondary schools.Subjects:Students and school faculty, school food-service and research staff (measured at the school level).Results:Over two years, 181 promotions were implemented (n = 49 in Year 1 and n = 132 in Year 2). In Year 1, the number of promotions conducted in schools was significantly associated with percentage lower-fat food sales. In Year 2, the duration of promotions was significantly associated with percentage lower-fat food sales.Conclusions:Collaborative efforts among students, school food-service staff and research staff can be successful in implementing a large number of nutrition-related, school-wide promotional activities. These efforts can increase the sales of lower-fat foods in à la carte areas of school cafeterias.

A Randomized School Trial of Environmental Strategies to Encourage Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Children

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl L. Perry ◽  
Donald B. Bishop ◽  
Gretchen L. Taylor ◽  
Marsha Davis ◽  
Mary Story ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Food Service ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Process Measures ◽  
Special Events ◽  
Third Grade Students ◽  
Service Staff ◽  
Theater Production ◽  
Multicomponent Interventions ◽  
Verbal Encouragement

The Cafeteria Power Plus project examined whether a cafeteria-based intervention would increase the fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption of children. Twenty-six schools were randomly assigned to either an intervention or control condition. Baseline lunch observations of a sample ( N = 1668) of first- and third-grade students occurred in the spring of 2000; follow-up was in the spring of 2002. The intervention took place during two consecutive school years beginning in the fall of 2000 and consisted of daily activities (increasing the availability, attractiveness, and encouragement for FV) and special events (kick-offs, samplings, challenge weeks, theater production, and finale meal). Training of food-service staff and cook managers was ongoing throughout the intervention phase. Students in the intervention schools significantly increased their total fruit intake. Process measures indicated that verbal encouragement by food-service staff was associated with outcomes. The outcomes suggest that multicomponent interventions are more powerful than cafeteria programs alone with this age group.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document