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School
Nutrition Programs Can Work
School programs to get kids to eat their fruits and vegetables
do make a difference, according to researchers.
Their review of several past studies found that "multicomponent"
school programs to promote fruits and vegetables--including
classroom activities and cafeteria changes such as simply
making more produce available--do appear to work.
"You can get kids to eat more fruits and vegetables
at school," Dr. Simone A. French, the study's lead
author, told Reuters Health. "And the multicomponent
programs seem to work best."
French, who is with the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis,
and colleague Dr. Gloria Stables looked at five studies
of multicomponent school programs that sought specifically
to boost kids' intake of fruits and vegetables--as opposed
to intake of healthier foods in general.
In three of these studies, the programs got fourth- and
fifth-graders to eat more fruits and vegetables, while the
other two studies showed mixed results.
In addition, programs that targeted the cafeteria "environment"
alone--by making more produce available, putting lower price
tags on fruits and vegetables, and having cafeteria staff
encourage kids to eat the healthier fare--also appeared
effective.
One study that looked at the effects of produce price cuts
in two high schools found that sales of fresh fruit and
baby carrots went up 400 percent and 200 percent, respectively.
The findings are published in the December issue of the
journal Preventive Medicine.
According to French, most of these programs have been tried
in elementary and middle schools. High schoolers might be
more of a challenge to reach because they have more of their
own money to spend, and because the schools offer a wider
variety of "a la carte" choices beyond the traditional
cafeteria meal.
To get more students to eat fruits and vegetables, French
said, schools need to not only increase the amount of produce
they offer, but also limit the availability of "more
attractive" foods like pizza, soda, french fries and
sweets.
According to French, lowering prices on fruits and vegetables--an
effective strategy in some research--might be sustainable
for schools if the prices of high-fat, calorie-laden foods
were raised.
SOURCE: Preventive Medicine, December 2003.
Article Source: Reuters Health
Article Author: N/A
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