J Acad Nutr Diet. 2019 Sep;119(9):1511-1515. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2019.04.003. Epub 2019 May 29.
In Fall 2012, updated US Department of Agriculture school meal standards went into effect and did not result in increased food waste overall. However, consumption of school foods, especially fruits and vegetables, remains low. Therefore, strategies to improve school meal consumption are necessary.
This study evaluated the combined impact of the updated school meal standards and chef-enhanced, healthier meals, and the removal of flavored milk on students' school food selection and consumption compared with students in control schools.
The Project MEALS (Modifying Eating and Lifestyles at School) study was a cafeteria-based quasi-experimental intervention conducted during the 2012 to 2013 school year.
PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Participants were students (n=1,309) in grades 3 through 8 attending four intervention and four control schools in two low-income, urban school districts.
Chef-enhanced school meals and the removal of flavored milk combined with the updated US Department of Agriculture school meal standards.
Changes in school meal selection and consumption were examined using plate waste methodology.
Logistic regression and mixed-model analysis of variance adjusting for student demographics and schools/students as a random effect (students nested within schools) were used to examine differences in selection and consumption before (Fall 2012) and after (Spring 2013) a chef-based intervention with the updated school meal standards.
After the chef-based intervention was implemented, there were no significant differences in entrée, vegetable, or fruit selection. Significantly fewer students selected milk compared with students in control schools (56.8% vs 94.0%; P<0.0001) and milk consumption was significantly lower (54.8% vs 63.7%; P=0.004). However, consumption was significantly greater for vegetables (62.2% vs 38.2%; P=0.005) and fruits (75.2 vs 59.2%; P=0.04) in the intervention schools compared with control schools. There were no significant differences in entrée consumption.
Schools collaborating with chefs can be an effective method to improve the consumption of fruits and vegetables with the updated US Department of Agriculture school meal standards. Further research should examine the longer-term impact of the removal of flavored milk from schools to determine whether the lower selection and consumption rates persist.
2012 年秋季，美国农业部更新后的学校膳食标准生效，但总体上并未导致食物浪费增加。然而，学校食品的消费，尤其是水果和蔬菜的消费仍然很低。因此，有必要采取策略来改善学校膳食的消费。
本研究评估了更新后的学校膳食标准与厨师增强的更健康膳食以及取消调味奶对学生选择和食用学校食品的综合影响，与对照学校的学生进行了比较。
MEALS 项目（在学校修改饮食和生活方式）是一项在 2012 至 2013 学年期间在自助餐厅进行的准实验干预研究。
参与者/设置：参与者是来自两个低收入城市学区的四所干预学校和四所对照学校的 3 至 8 年级学生（n=1309）。
厨师增强的学校膳食和取消调味奶与美国农业部更新后的学校膳食标准相结合。
使用餐盘剩余物方法检查学校膳食选择和消费的变化。
使用调整学生人口统计学和学校/学生作为随机效应（学生嵌套在学校内）的逻辑回归和混合模型方差分析，来检查在实施以厨师为基础的干预措施并更新学校膳食标准之前（2012 年秋季）和之后（2013 年春季）的选择和消费差异。
实施以厨师为基础的干预措施后，主菜、蔬菜或水果的选择没有显著差异。与对照学校的学生相比，选择牛奶的学生明显减少（56.8%比 94.0%；P<0.0001），牛奶消费也明显较低（54.8%比 63.7%；P=0.004）。然而，干预学校的蔬菜（62.2%比 38.2%；P=0.005）和水果（75.2%比 59.2%；P=0.04）的消费明显更高。主菜的消费没有显著差异。
与厨师合作的学校可以是一种有效的方法，以改善与美国农业部更新后的学校膳食标准的水果和蔬菜的消费。进一步的研究应检查从学校取消调味奶的更长期影响，以确定较低的选择和消费率是否持续。
