- Email: [email protected]
O4 Assessment of New York State Local Wellness Policies
S2
Oral Abstracts
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 51, Number 7S, 2019
O3 (continued) New Brunswick, NJ 08901; Cara Cuite, PhD, Rutgers University; Gina McKeon, MS, Rutgers University Background: Breakfast After the Bell (BATB) has become the unofficial standard in school breakfast, particularly in larger, urban districts. However, there is sometimes concern that students eat at home or buy food before school, therefore eating breakfast twice. Additionally, student perceptions of BATB, its benefits and challenges, remain largely unstudied. Objective: To understand if students are eating multiple breakfasts when BATB is served, and to measure students’ opinions of BATB. Study Design, Setting, Participants: Middle school (MS) students from a low-income urban school district that operates under the Community Eligibility Provision took a paper-and-pencil survey during homeroom. This MS had switched from BATB back to breakfast before the bell midway through the schoolyear (n = 1149). District breakfast participation data were also collected and analyzed. Measurable Outcome/Analysis: Participants answered questions regarding their perceptions of school breakfast. Participants were also asked their opinions of the traditional model of serving breakfast before the bell compared to BATB. District breakfast participation data and descriptive statistics are presented. Results: The majority of students reported a positive impression of BATB, specifically that they feel better when they eat breakfast (69%); eating school breakfast saves time at home in the morning (56%); and school breakfast saves their family money (53%). In addition, they stated they were more likely to eat breakfast when it was served in the classroom (55%). Importantly, the vast majority of students said that they never, or only sometimes, buy breakfast on the way to school (92%), and only 18% reported that they always eat at home. District breakfast participation data show a significant decrease in breakfast participation after the switch to breakfast before the bell. Conclusion: Overall, students reported many benefits of the BATB model. For most students, BATB was the only breakfast they report eating, which should remove the double-breakfast concern for school administrators. Returning to BATB would likely increase breakfast participation in the MS. Funding: Rutgers University Community-University Research Partnership Grant.
O4 Assessment of New York State Local Wellness Policies Laura Raaen, MPH, [email protected], Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 W 120th St, New York, NY 10027; Laura Guerra, EdD, Teachers College, Columbia University; Claire Raffel, MLIS, Teachers College, Columbia University; Afua Yeboah, New York University; Khy Ee Siew, New York University; Pamela Koch, EdD, MS, MEd, Teachers College, Columbia University
Background: Under the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, local educational agencies participating in the National School Lunch or Breakfast Program are required to establish local wellness policies (LWPs). LWPs aim to promote healthy nutrition and physical activity standards and programming in school districts. Objective: To evaluate the strength and comprehensiveness of the LWPs of a representative sample of New York State public school districts. Study Design, Settings, Participants: We used publicly available district-level data from the Common Core of Data and the American Community Survey. To select our sample, the Generalizer was used to generate six strata, using the following criteria: percentage of students receiving free and reduced lunch, English Language learners, identify as Black, Hispanic, Asian or White, and urbanicity. The Generalizer tool determined how many schools to select from each stratum to obtain a sample (n = 111 districts) that is generalizable to the entire state. Measurable Outcome/Analysis: To assess LWPs, we utilized WellSAT. WellSAT is an evaluation tool that scores LWPs and identifies areas for improvement. WellSAT includes items that are required by federal law and items identified as best practices. With WellSAT, the LWPs of the selected districts were assessed using 67 items across six domains: Nutrition Education; Standards for USDA Child Nutrition Programs and School Meals; Nutrition Standards for Competitive and Other Foods and Beverages; Physical Education and Activity; Wellness Promotion and Marketing; and Implementation, Evaluation and Communication. Results: The majority of LWPs included most federal requirements. However, many lacked items that are thought of as best practices, such as the incorporation of nutrition education into other subjects. Many policies included vague or weak language. Conclusion: While many New York LWPs met federal requirements, they often lack clear language and best practices, which can make it challenging for school personnel to interpret and implement the policy. Additional research is needed to better understand what resources school districts need to strengthen their policies. Funding: None.
O5 Utilizing Data-Driven Strategies to Inform a SNAP-Ed Healthy Food Retail Initiative Liza Dobson, MS, BS, Virginia Cooperative Extension Family Nutrition Program; Sarah Misyak, PhD, MS, BS, Virginia Cooperative Extension Family Nutrition Program; Bailey Houghtaling, MS, BS, RDN, Virginia Cooperative Extension Family Nutrition Program; Elena Serrano, PhD, MS, BA, Virginia Cooperative Extension Family Nutrition Program; Meredith Ledlie Johnson, MSW, [email protected], Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech, 330 Wallace Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061 Objective: Identify evidence-based strategies for SNAP-Ed to target SNAP-authorized retailers to improve consumer purchases of healthy foods. Continued on page S3
Oral Abstracts
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 51, Number 7S, 2019
O3 (continued) New Brunswick, NJ 08901; Cara Cuite, PhD, Rutgers University; Gina McKeon, MS, Rutgers University Background: Breakfast After the Bell (BATB) has become the unofficial standard in school breakfast, particularly in larger, urban districts. However, there is sometimes concern that students eat at home or buy food before school, therefore eating breakfast twice. Additionally, student perceptions of BATB, its benefits and challenges, remain largely unstudied. Objective: To understand if students are eating multiple breakfasts when BATB is served, and to measure students’ opinions of BATB. Study Design, Setting, Participants: Middle school (MS) students from a low-income urban school district that operates under the Community Eligibility Provision took a paper-and-pencil survey during homeroom. This MS had switched from BATB back to breakfast before the bell midway through the schoolyear (n = 1149). District breakfast participation data were also collected and analyzed. Measurable Outcome/Analysis: Participants answered questions regarding their perceptions of school breakfast. Participants were also asked their opinions of the traditional model of serving breakfast before the bell compared to BATB. District breakfast participation data and descriptive statistics are presented. Results: The majority of students reported a positive impression of BATB, specifically that they feel better when they eat breakfast (69%); eating school breakfast saves time at home in the morning (56%); and school breakfast saves their family money (53%). In addition, they stated they were more likely to eat breakfast when it was served in the classroom (55%). Importantly, the vast majority of students said that they never, or only sometimes, buy breakfast on the way to school (92%), and only 18% reported that they always eat at home. District breakfast participation data show a significant decrease in breakfast participation after the switch to breakfast before the bell. Conclusion: Overall, students reported many benefits of the BATB model. For most students, BATB was the only breakfast they report eating, which should remove the double-breakfast concern for school administrators. Returning to BATB would likely increase breakfast participation in the MS. Funding: Rutgers University Community-University Research Partnership Grant.
O4 Assessment of New York State Local Wellness Policies Laura Raaen, MPH, [email protected], Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 W 120th St, New York, NY 10027; Laura Guerra, EdD, Teachers College, Columbia University; Claire Raffel, MLIS, Teachers College, Columbia University; Afua Yeboah, New York University; Khy Ee Siew, New York University; Pamela Koch, EdD, MS, MEd, Teachers College, Columbia University
Background: Under the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, local educational agencies participating in the National School Lunch or Breakfast Program are required to establish local wellness policies (LWPs). LWPs aim to promote healthy nutrition and physical activity standards and programming in school districts. Objective: To evaluate the strength and comprehensiveness of the LWPs of a representative sample of New York State public school districts. Study Design, Settings, Participants: We used publicly available district-level data from the Common Core of Data and the American Community Survey. To select our sample, the Generalizer was used to generate six strata, using the following criteria: percentage of students receiving free and reduced lunch, English Language learners, identify as Black, Hispanic, Asian or White, and urbanicity. The Generalizer tool determined how many schools to select from each stratum to obtain a sample (n = 111 districts) that is generalizable to the entire state. Measurable Outcome/Analysis: To assess LWPs, we utilized WellSAT. WellSAT is an evaluation tool that scores LWPs and identifies areas for improvement. WellSAT includes items that are required by federal law and items identified as best practices. With WellSAT, the LWPs of the selected districts were assessed using 67 items across six domains: Nutrition Education; Standards for USDA Child Nutrition Programs and School Meals; Nutrition Standards for Competitive and Other Foods and Beverages; Physical Education and Activity; Wellness Promotion and Marketing; and Implementation, Evaluation and Communication. Results: The majority of LWPs included most federal requirements. However, many lacked items that are thought of as best practices, such as the incorporation of nutrition education into other subjects. Many policies included vague or weak language. Conclusion: While many New York LWPs met federal requirements, they often lack clear language and best practices, which can make it challenging for school personnel to interpret and implement the policy. Additional research is needed to better understand what resources school districts need to strengthen their policies. Funding: None.
O5 Utilizing Data-Driven Strategies to Inform a SNAP-Ed Healthy Food Retail Initiative Liza Dobson, MS, BS, Virginia Cooperative Extension Family Nutrition Program; Sarah Misyak, PhD, MS, BS, Virginia Cooperative Extension Family Nutrition Program; Bailey Houghtaling, MS, BS, RDN, Virginia Cooperative Extension Family Nutrition Program; Elena Serrano, PhD, MS, BA, Virginia Cooperative Extension Family Nutrition Program; Meredith Ledlie Johnson, MSW, [email protected], Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech, 330 Wallace Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061 Objective: Identify evidence-based strategies for SNAP-Ed to target SNAP-authorized retailers to improve consumer purchases of healthy foods. Continued on page S3