Nutrient content of school meals before and after implementation of nutrition recommendations in five school districts across two U.S. counties.

OBJECTIVE: To compare changes in nutrient levels of school meals before and after implementation of nutrition interventions at five school districts in two, large U.S. counties. School menu changes were compared against national school meal recommendations. METHODS: A large urban school district in Los Angeles County (LAC), California and four school districts in suburban Cook County (SCC), Illinois implemented school meal nutrition interventions. Nutrition analyses were conducted for school breakfast and lunch before and after changes were made to the meal programs. Means, % change, and net calories (kilocalories or kcal) offered as a result of the nutrition interventions were calculated. RESULTS: School districts in both counties made district-wide changes in their school breakfast and lunch menus. Menu changes resulted in a net reduction of calories, sugar, and sodium content offered in the meals. Net fewer calories offered as a result of the nutrition interventions were estimated to be about 64,075kcal per student per year for LAC and 22,887kcal per student per year for SCC. CONCLUSIONS: Nutrition interventions can have broad reach through changes in menu offerings to school-aged children and adolescents. However, further research is needed to examine how these changes affect student food selection and consumption.

Building mutually beneficial partnerships to improve physical activity opportunities through shared-use efforts in under-resourced communities in Los Angeles County.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate 18 shared-use agreements (SUAs) implemented in Los Angeles County during 2010-2012. SUAs opened school grounds and/or facilities in seven school districts to increase physical activity opportunities for under-resourced communities with high prevalence of obesity. METHODS: We reviewed the extent to which SUAs addressed school district concerns about cost responsibility, sustainability, and scope. A school site and community partner survey was conducted to inform planning and to facilitate comparisons of the types and range of legal clauses (up to 16) contained in the agreements. We used geographic information systems and 2010 United States Census data to estimate the population reached and the potential benefits of the SUAs. RESULTS: SUAs varied in the degree to which they addressed the three categories of concerns. Eight of the 18 agreements included 13 of the 16 legal clauses. We estimate that these SUAs have the potential to reach nearly 165,000 children (ages 5-19) and more than 500,000 adults (ages 20-64) at a cost of about $0.38 per community member reached. CONCLUSION: SUAs that include legal clauses to address school concerns about factors such as vandalism, staffing and funding represent a promising strategy for increasing physical activity opportunities in under-resourced neighborhoods where the prevalence of obesity is high.

Evaluating changes to sodium content in school meals at a large, urban school district in Los Angeles County, California.

CONTEXT: Children consume more than one-third of their daily food intake in schools, suggesting that these environments are ideal places for intervening on poor dietary behaviors. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of strategy-focused menu planning on the sodium content of student meals served in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). DESIGN: Pre- and post-LAUSD menu change analyses for school years (SY) 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 were performed using nutritional analysis data and food production records. The analyses assessed changes in sodium content by meal categories. SETTING: 900+ schools, grades K-12, operated by the LAUSD. PARTICIPANTS: The LAUSD Food Services Branch, which serves about 650 000 meals per day. INTERVENTION: A multistage menu planning approach that focused on implementing evidence-based strategies to improve the nutritional content of school breakfast and lunch menus. Engagement and formation of multisectoral partnerships, including public health and parent/student groups, were vital elements of the intervention process. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Sodium content changes in the LAUSD menu, SY 2010-2011 versus SY 2011-2012; other measures include documentation of program reach. RESULTS: From SY 2010-2011 to SY 2011-2012, the mean unweighted sodium levels for elementary (K-5) breakfast and for secondary (6-12) breakfast and lunch decreased. These changes met or exceeded the 2014-2015 US Department of Agriculture sodium targets for school meals and for secondary breakfast, the 2022-2023 target(s). These results, however, were not as notable once student food selection patterns (weighted data) and condiments were considered in the analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Use of strategy-focused menu planning as a mechanism to reduce sodium in school meals appeared to be promising, demonstrating favorable declines in mean sodium levels for at least 3 of 4 meal categories in the LAUSD. Student food selection patterns and condiments use, however, can affect the strength of the intervention.