Inadequate dietary iron, impaired iron absorption, bleeding, or loss of body iron in the urine may cause anemia. The prevalence of anemia due to iron (Fe) deficiency in Indonesia reaches 22.7% in ...females and 12.4% in males. Indonesian students spent 7-8 hours/day, mainly the iron daily intake influenced by school canteen snacks. This study aimed to determine the contribution of Fe content in canteen snacks in high schools in Malang. This research was an analytic observational study using a cross-sectional design with the AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectrometry) method as a quantitative iron analysis technique. Food samples were selected purposively according to the inclusion criteria from 10 high schools consisting of junior high and senior high school groups. The snack samples studied were fried chicken, fried Tempe, and noodles. The average Fe content in snacks was analyzed using the independent T-test in the junior and senior high school groups. The iron content in fried Tempe and noodle showed a significant difference with p> 0.05, while the iron content in fried chicken in the two school groups did not show different results. However, the percentage contribution of Fe to the Nutrition Adequacy Rate (RDA) is still minimal, with the most significant contribution coming from noodles, reaching 17.85% in the male group.
•Children's conceptualization of school snacking was explored using drawings.•Children consume both healthy and unhealthy products as snack.•Barriers and facilitators for healthy snacking were ...explored using a completion technique.•Perceived healthiness was the main motivator for the consumption of healthy snacks.•Hedonic aspects were the main motivators for the consumption of unhealthy snacks.•Potential actions to promote healthy snacking habits at schools were identified.
Snacks consumed at school are an important source of energy and nutrients in children's diets. Understanding the factors that underlie children and mothers' choices of school snacks can contribute to the development of strategies to promote healthier eating patterns. In this context, the aims of the present work were: i) to explore children's conceptualization of school snacking, and ii) to identify children and mothers' perceived barriers and facilitators to healthy snacking in the school environment. Two studies with 518 children and 1183 mothers were carried out. In Study 1, children (n = 255) were asked to draw a child eating a snack at school. In Study 2, five incomplete dialogues about school snacks were presented to participants (263 children and 1183 mothers), who had to complete them using their own words. Data were analyzed using content analysis. The drawings showed that school snacking frequently occurs during the recess while children do other activities, such as playing football or other games. Fruit, sandwiches, cookies and juices were the foods and beverages most frequently included in the drawings. Responses to the dialogues enabled the identification of barriers to healthy snacking in the school environment, which were related to children's positive hedonic reaction towards unhealthy foods, the sales of unhealthy products in the school canteen, lack of time to prepare home-made snacks and mothers' perception that children can eat unhealthy snacks once in a while. In addition, the existence of a school snacking policy was mentioned as a facilitator for healthy snacking. Potential additional actions to promote healthy snacking habits in the school environment were identified.
Diet quality and food security are a concern in school-aged children in Canada. In 2019, the Canadian federal government announced the intention to work towards a national school food program. ...Understanding the factors that impact school food program acceptability can inform planning to ensure that students are willing to participate. A scoping review of school food programs in Canada completed in 2019 identified 17 peer-reviewed and 18 grey literature publications. Of these, five peer-reviewed and nine grey literature publications included a discussion of factors that impact the acceptance of school food programs. These factors were thematically analyzed into categories: stigmatization, communication, food choice and cultural considerations, administration, location and timing, and social considerations. Considering these factors while planning can help to maximize program acceptability.
Eating behavior of school-aged children was dominated by street foods. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between maternal knowledge of balanced nutritional guidelines and ...snack food selection by school-aged children during school hours. This also aims to describe each demographic data and level of mother's knowledge.
This study conducted a descriptive correlational design. The participants were selected using simple random sampling technique, consisting of 4th and 5th grade elementary school children and their mothers in SDN Tugu 4, Depok City, Indonesia. Demographic data were also taken for each. The instruments used the Food Frequency Questionnaire and questions about the balanced nutritional guidelines. Statistical analysis conducted a univariate (descriptive) and bivariate (relationship) analysis. Bivariate analysis used independent t test and ANOVA test, using (P value < 0.05) to indicate a significant relationship.
A total of 118 elementary students and their mothers participated. The results showed that there was no significant relationship between maternal knowledge of balanced nutritional guidelines and snack food behavior by children during school hours (P = 0.108). Level of knowledge of the mothers on balance nutritional guidelines was dominantly moderate (58.4%).
Parents no longer became a major factor influencing the child's diet. Peers have more influence on the diet of children this age. This study points to the importance of education on healthy and safe snack foods for school-aged children in collaboration with peers, parents, teachers, and food vendors at school.
US children consume about one-third of the recommended level of whole grain. This study compared the difference in consumption between snacks made with either refined flour (Goldfish 0 g/serving), ...low (Graham crackers 5 g/serving, Goldfish 8 g/serving) or 100% whole grain flour level (Graham crackers 26 g/serving) among 117 children (kindergarten-sixth grade) participating in after-school snack programs. The study included plate waste collection and group interviews conducted in four elementary schools in the Midwest. A multiple comparison test determined differences in consumption. The mean consumption for Graham crackers 26 g (52.0 ± 11.40) was significantly lower than the mean consumption for Goldfish 0 g, (78 ± 4.31), Graham crackers 5 g, (80.2 ± 5.19) and Goldfish 8 g (75.4 ± 5.24) (P < 0.05). Children were more sensitive to the taste and texture of Graham crackers 26 g/serving as compared with snacks with less whole grain. Snack products with considerable whole grain content may require additional research in order to increase their appeal to children.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND
School is an important setting to promote healthy eating habits for children. We compared the effects of 4 conditions on the nutritional quality of snacks brought to school. We ...also investigated teachers' opinions regarding the process, barriers, and facilitators in regulation implementation.
METHODS
We compared the nutritional quality of morning snacks based on 1958 photographs from schools divided into 4 conditions: regulation based on a list of permitted foods and beverages; regulation banning sweets, chips, and sugary drinks; information without regulation; or no intervention. Based on 5 focus groups (N = 18 participants), we investigated factors influencing regulation implementation.
RESULTS
In schools with a list of permitted foods and beverages, 76% of the children had a healthy snack, compared to 52% to 54% in the 3 other conditions (p < .01). They also brought less sweet foods compared to those in the other conditions (41% vs. 68% to 71%, p < .01). In focus groups, most teachers supported regulation but also expressed ambivalence about their legitimacy.
CONCLUSIONS
In this study, a regulation based on a list of permitted foods and beverages showed the best results. All actors should be involved in a progressive implementation process to increase acceptance of such regulation.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES
In 2011, the National Afterschool Association adopted the Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) standards to address snack quality and physical activity in afterschool ...programs. Although research has indicated promise in the adoption of these policies by national organizations, less is known about local adoption, implementation, and effectiveness. In this study, we aimed to compare the quality of snacks served at program sites pre‐ and post‐adoption and to determine the quality of non‐program snacks compared to program snacks.
METHODS
An interrupted time series design was used to measure snack quality and consumption at 3 policy adopting sites and 2 non‐policy adopting sites that served as a comparison control. Trained research staff collected snack type, brand, and amount consumed using a modified quarter‐waste method. Analysis on nutrient content of snacks was completed using Nutrition Data System for Research software.
RESULTS
Adoption of the HEPA standards among policy adopting sites did not result in significantly better snack quality. Across all sites, program snacks were healthier than non‐program snacks.
CONCLUSION
Pursuing additional components of the HEPA standards related to implementation may be necessary to significantly improve snack quality. Environmental supports such as limiting the amount of non‐program snacks available onsite may improve snack quality.
School feeding programs are politically popular interventions. They are, nevertheless, difficult to assess in terms of effectiveness since their impact is partially on education and partially on ...school health. They are, additionally, a means to augment consumption by vulnerable populations. The authors look at recent evidence from in-depth studies and argue that while school feeding programs can influence the education of school children and, to a lesser degree, augment nutrition for families of beneficiaries, they are best viewed as transfer programs that can provide a social safety net and help promote human capital investments.
The aim of the present study was to explore the implementation of nutrition recommendations made in the 2010 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Child and Adult Care Food Program: Aligning Dietary ...Guidance for All, in school-based after-school snack programmes.
A descriptive study.
One large suburban school district in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
None.
Major challenges to implementation included limited access to product labelling and specifications inconsistent with the IOM's Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) recommendations, limited access to healthier foods due to current school district buying consortium agreement, and increased costs of wholegrain and lower-sodium foods and pre-packaged fruits and vegetables.
Opportunities for government and industry policy development and partnerships to support schools in their efforts to promote healthy after-school food environments remain. Several federal, state and industry leadership opportunities are proposed: provide product labelling that makes identifying snacks which comply with the 2010 IOM CACFP recommended standards easy; encourage compliance with recommendations by providing incentives to programmes; prioritize the implementation of paperwork and technology that simplifies enrollment and accountability systems; and provide support for food safety training and/or certification for non-food service personnel.
PDF
