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Home > Promising Practices > Obesity: Meal or Fruit and Vegetable Snack Interventions to Increase Healthier Foods and Beverages Provided by Schools

Obesity: Meal or Fruit and Vegetable Snack Interventions to Increase Healthier Foods and Beverages Provided by Schools

CDC

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Meal interventions or fruit and vegetable snack interventions aim to provide healthier foods and beverages that will be consumed by students, limit access to less healthy foods and beverages, or both.

Interventions must include one of the following components:
-School meal policies that ensure school breakfasts or lunches meet specific nutrition requirements (e.g., School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program)
-Fresh fruit and vegetable programs that provide fresh fruits and vegetables to students during lunch or snack

Healthier foods and beverages include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or fat-free dairy, lean meats, beans, eggs, nuts, and items that are low in saturated fats, salt, and added sugars, and have no trans fats. Less-healthy foods and beverages include those with more added sugars, fats, and sodium.

Impact

The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) recommends meal interventions and fruit and vegetable snack interventions to increase the availability of healthier foods and beverages provided by schools. This finding is based on evidence that they increase fruit and vegetable consumption and reduce or maintain the rate of obesity or overweight. Economic evidence shows that meal interventions and fruit and vegetable snack interventions are cost-effective.

Results / Accomplishments

The systematic review included 25 studies with 26 study arms.

Weight-Related Outcomes
-Overweight/obesity prevalence median decrease of 9.6 percentage points (5 studies)
-BMI z-score median increase of 0.01 (not significant; 3 studies)

Diet-Related Outcomes
-Fruit or vegetable intake 20.0% increase (9 study arms)

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
Health / Nutrition & Healthy Eating
For more details
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/obesity...

Related Promising Practices

  1. Obesity: Multicomponent Interventions to Increase Availability of Healthier Foods and Beverages in Schools
  2. Obesity: Multicomponent Interventions to Increase Availability of Healthier Foods and Beverages in Schools
  3. North Carolina Fruits and Veggies Nutrition Coalition
  4. Color Me Healthy
  5. Students for Nutrition and Exercise (SNaX)
  6. The Zombie Solution

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Related Content for: Obesity: Meal or Fruit and Vegetable Snack Interventions to Increase Healthier Foods and Beverages Provided by Schools

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.