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Availability, Consumption, And Energy/Nutrient Contributions Of Competitive Foods In Schools
Author(s) -
Fox Mary Kay,
Gordon Anne,
Nogales Renee,
McKinney Patricia
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.1085.4
Subject(s) - calorie , promotion (chess) , consumption (sociology) , environmental health , obesity , school meal , nutrition education , serving size , curriculum , meal , health promotion , childhood obesity , psychology , gerontology , business , medicine , food science , overweight , public health , pedagogy , sociology , political science , biology , social science , nursing , politics , law , endocrinology
The IOM Committee on Prevention of Childhood Obesity concluded that obesity prevention requires an “environmental‐behavioral synergy.” To achieve this synergy in schools, food and physical activity environments and policies must echo and support core behaviors targeted in health promotion/nutrition education curricula and activities. Recently, there has been considerable interest in competitive foods—foods sold outside of the school meal programs on an a la carte basis or through vending machines, snack bars, school stores, and other venues. Data from the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study (SNDA‐III) show that the availability of competitive foods is widespread, particularly in middle and high schools. Consumption of competitive foods varies by age and is greatest among high school students. Lower‐bound estimates reveal that, overall, students who consume competitive foods consume an average of 150–200 calories from foods that are low in nutrients and high in energy. Among high school students, the average exceeds 225 calories. These “unnecessary” calories may be an appropriate target for efforts to improve the healthfulness of school environments.