The investigators hypothesize that the new United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations for lunches served as part of the National School Lunch Program will decrease the percentage of enrolled students purchasing lunch, increase the percentage of children taking fruit and vegetables, decrease the percentage of fruit and vegetable servings being thrown away, and increase the total number of fruit and vegetable servings eaten. The investigators also hypothesize that when the regulations are in force, simple behavioral interventions can counteract the potentially negative impact on lunch sales and consumption. In other words, implementing the regulations and behavioral interventions together, the percentage of enrolled students taking a school lunch will increase at least back to baseline levels, the percentage of children taking fruits and vegetables will increase, the percentage of fruit and vegetable servings wasted will decrease, and the total number of fruit and vegetable servings eaten will increase.
This study was conducted in 43 schools in the New York City (NYC) School district in the spring of 2012. The new regulations for school lunches were scheduled to roll out nationally in the fall of the same year, so this study was designed to provide an indication of the impact the new regulations would have. In addition to the regulations, the investigators also tested additional behavioral interventions, in conjunction with the regulations, to determine how the behavioral interventions might offset, or magnify, the impacts of the regulations.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
43
Implement new USDA regulations assigned school cafeterias. 1. Fruit or vegetable on every tray 2. Meet requirements for vegetable varieties 3. 50% of all grains must be whole grain 4. Milk must be 1% or skim; flavored milk must be skim
This marketing tool kit is designed to encourage purchasing of school lunches. The marketing tool kit included the following components: 1. 56''x72'' vinyl sign with the words "\[school mascot\] Cafe" 2. 8.5''x11'' signs describing the foods offered on a specific day 3. 2''x4'' signs used to name all foods. These were to be placed in a visible location near the corresponding food. 4. Magnetic board displaying a tray onto which magnets shaped as food can be placed to show what foods were being offered during a specific lunch shift.
Implement three basic Smarter Lunchrooms techniques. It consists of the following components: 1. Place fruit in an attractive bowl or serving dish and set on two places on the line. One of the places should be at or near the register. 2. Give all vegetables descriptive names and write or type them on a 2''x4'' card. These cards should be visible and placed near the corresponding food. 3. Make white milk the most prominent milk in the milk coolers by making it the most available milk and easiest to take.
New York City School District
New York, New York, United States
Change in percent fruit or vegetable waste by student
In the twelve schools, tray waste data were collected twice in April 2012 and once in May 2012. Results were generated and reported in September 2012.
Time frame: Six months
Change in lunch sales
Lunch sales data were collected each school day in the 43 schools from March through May 2012. Results were generated and reported in September 2012.
Time frame: Six months
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