Salad Bars in the National School Lunch Program: Impact on Dietary Consumption Patterns in Elementary School Students

Completed

• Conditions: Diet, Food, and Nutrition
• Interventions: Other: Waitlisted control; Other: Salad bar; Other: Salad bar post-COVID

• Registration Number: NCT05605483
• Lead Sponsor: Virginia Commonwealth University

Brief Summary

This project is a research study looking at what foods students choose and eat during school lunch and examines how salad bars impact what children eat.

Detailed Description

This project applies a wait list control cluster randomized controlled trial to evaluate school salad bars. This project uses digital images (pictures) of labeled trays in the cafeteria before and after children eat lunch. This project also asks cafeteria workers about their thoughts about salad bars and their experiences with the salad bar program.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2019-02-13
• Study First Submitted: 2022-10-28
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-10-28
• Study First Posted: 2022-11-04
• Primary Completion: 2023-04-26
• Study Completion: 2023-04-26
• Status Verified: 2023-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-07-31
• Last Update Posted: 2023-08-02

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 6269

Inclusion Criteria

• Students: All K-6th grade students at target schools who participate in the school lunch program on rating day
• Cafeteria staff: All cafeteria personnel at the randomly selected target schools will be eligible to complete surveys

Exclusion Criteria

• Students: Unsure sex of child
• Cafeteria staff: None

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Schools without salad bars	Waitlisted control	Schools without salad bars
Schools with salad bars	Salad bar	Schools with salad bars
Schools with salad parts post COVID-19	Salad bar post-COVID	A subset schools with salad bars that were examined pre-COVID-19 will undergo methods again.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
FV consumption	Baseline to up to 6 weeks after salad bars installed	Amount of FV consumed will be calculated by subtracting amount of FV remaining after lunch is consumed from amount of FV selected based on digital photographs of student's lunch trays before and after consumption.
fruits and vegetables (FV) selection	Baseline to up to 6 weeks after salad bars installed	Amount of FV selection will be calculated based on digital photographs of student's lunch trays before consumption

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
FV consumption post-COVID-19	4-6 weeks after salad bars re-installed	To examine the the impact of salad bars on student dietary intake patterns after their reintroduction post-COVID-19 school closures. Amount of FV consumed will be calculated by subtracting amount of FV remaining after lunch is consumed from amount of FV selected based on digital photographs of student's lunch trays before and after consumption.
energy intake (kcal) post-COVID-19	4-6 weeks after salad bars re-installed	To examine the the impact of salad bars on student dietary intake patterns after their reintroduction post-COVID-19 school closures. Amount of calories consumed will be calculated by subtracting the total amount of calories remaining on trays from the total amount of calories initially selected based on digital photographs of student's lunch trays before and after consumption.
dietary quality (Healthy Eating Index) post-COVID-19	4-6 weeks after salad bars re-installed	To examine the the impact of salad bars on student dietary intake patterns after their reintroduction post-COVID-19 school closures. The Healthy Eating Index will be calculated for food and beverages consumed at lunch (amount on the tray before minus after consumption) using NDSR
energy intake (kcal)	Baseline to up to 6 weeks after salad bars installed	Amount of calories consumed will be calculated by subtracting the total amount of calories remaining on trays from the total amount of calories initially selected based on digital photographs of student's lunch trays before and after consumption.
dietary quality (Healthy Eating Index)	Baseline to up to 6 weeks after salad bars installed	the Healthy Eating Index will be calculated for food and beverages consumed at lunch (amount on the tray before minus after consumption) using NDSR
fruits and vegetables (FV) selection post-COVID-19	4-6 weeks after salad bars re-installed	To examine the the impact of salad bars on student dietary intake patterns after their reintroduction post-COVID-19 school closures. Amount of FV selection will be calculated based on digital photographs of student's lunch trays before consumption

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Healthy Lifestyles Center at the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU; 🇺🇸 Henrico, Virginia, United States