Obesity: Multicomponent Interventions to Increase Availability of Healthier Foods and Beverages in Schools

CDC

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

These interventions aim to provide healthier foods and beverages in schools that will be consumed by students, limit access to less healthy foods and beverages, or both.

Multicomponent interventions must include one component from each of the following:
-Meal or fruit and vegetable snack interventions to increase healthier foods and beverages provided by schools
-Interventions supporting healthier snack food and beverages sold or offered as a reward in schools.

Interventions may also include one or more of the following.
-Placing healthier foods and beverages where they are easy for students to select
-Pricing healthier foods and beverages at a lower cost
-Setting up attractive displays of fruits and vegetables
-Offering taste tests of new menu items
-Posting signs or verbal prompts to promote healthier foods and beverages and new menu items
-Healthy eating learning opportunities, such as nutrition education and other strategies that give children knowledge and skills to choose and consume healthier foods and beverages.

Impact

The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) recommends multicomponent interventions to increase availability of healthier foods and beverages in schools. This finding is based on evidence that they reduce or maintain the rate of obesity or overweight.

Results / Accomplishments

Weight-related Outcomes:
-The prevalence of overweight/obesity: stopped increasing (5 studies)
-BMIz score: no change (1 study)

Diet Outcomes:
-Energy intake: mixed findings (3 studies)
-Sugar-sweetened beverage intake favorable findings: (2 of 3 studies)
-Fruit and vegetable: intake increases (3 of 4 studies)
-Milk/dairy alternative intake: significant increases

About this Promising Practice

Primary Contact
The Community Guide
1600 Clifton Rd, NE
MS H21-8
Atlanta, GA 30329
(404) 498-1827
communityguide@cdc.gov
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/
Topics
Health / Weight Status
For more details
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/obesity...

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  1. School Nutrition Policy Initiative
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  3. CHOPPS: Preventing childhood obesity by reducing consumption of carbonated drinks
  4. Winning With Wellness
  5. Kids N Fitness: A Family-Centered Lifestyle Intervention for Overweight Youth
  6. Farm 2 School Lunch Program

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An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.