Tuesday, October 25, 10:30
a.m.-noon
Fun5
Author
C.R. Nigg, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI.
Background
BACKGROUND: Fun 5 was created to address the rising obesity
epidemic. Fun 5 promotes 5 days of physical activity (PA)/week
and consumption of 5 fruits and vegetables (F&V)/day in the
After School Plus (A+) program. Guided by the Sports, Play, and
Active Recreation for Kids Active Recreation (SPARK) program,
Fun 5 offers a variety of organized, non-competitive,
non-gender-specific, and fun PAs in which children of all skill
levels can participate and experience success.
Methods
Through a partnership between the State Department of
Education (DOE), the Hawaii Medical Service Association (BCBS of
Hawaii), and the University of Hawaii, the program was piloted
in 2003 at thirteen DOE A+ program sites (grades 4-6; n=533).
Participating A+ site coordinators and group leaders attended
training, received PA equipment, and program binders to ensure
effective implementation. Participating A+ sites are expected to
implement SPARK a minimum of 3 times per week (minimum 30
minutes/time), encourage F&V consumption and involve the family
in PA.
Results
At baseline (T1) students were sedentary
(standing/sitting/lying down) 87.1% of the time during A+.
Sedentary time decreased (by 21%), and moderate/vigorous PA time
increased (by 140%), reflecting management decrease and game
play increase. Leisure-time strenuous PA (T1=3.9 2.2 d/wk;
T2=4.1 2.1 d/wk), mild PA (T1=3.1 2.5 d/wk; T2=3.2 2.5 d/wk),
enjoyment, subjective norm and self-efficacy did not change
(p>.05). However, moderate PA (T1=3.1 2.3 d/wk; T2=3.6 2.2 d/wk;
F=5.10, p<.05, partial eta2=.06) and attitude (F=95.02, p<.05,
partial eta2=.54) improved. Limited effects were observed with
F&V consumption. Lessons learned include: using boosters to
maintain leaders motivation; removing communication hierarchies;
and minimizing paperwork.
Discussion
Due to the pilot's success, Fun 5 is now being
disseminated statewide. 72 sites were trained (over 9000
students) in the first dissemination semester (Fall 2004) with a
planned RE-AIM evaluation. 12/13 pilot sites continue
implementation.
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The Arkansas School BMI Assessment Project
Author
J.W. Thompson, Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, Little
Rock, AR.
Background
On April 11, 2003, Arkansas Act 1220 became the
first law in the nation to provide comprehensive,
multi-faceted approaches that bring families, schools, and
communities together to combat the epidemic of obesity. The
Arkansas Departments of Education and Health asked ACHI to
oversee the BMI assessments of the state's public school
children as mandated by the act. Because nothing of this
magnitude had been attempted at state or national levels, ACHI
was responsible for devising a way to uniformly measure
students while ensuring confidentiality.
Methods
In year one, ACHI distributed to every school
district BMI-for-age data on 421,973 students. A state report,
which provided comprehensive data by grade, gender, age,
ethnicity and geographic region, was given to school district
superintendents and state legislators. In year two of the
Arkansas School BMI Assessment Project, ACHI reviewed and
modified the process to enhance communication and efficiency.
New technology was implemented to make the BMI assessment
process more user-friendly and cost efficient.
Results
As of June 1, 2005, 442,940 students had been
assessed. This represents a significant increase in
participation from the previous year. A second state report
will be distributed in September 2005 that will provide vital
comparative analysis between the two years.
Discussion
In an unprecedented way, Arkansas can now
accurately detail the obesity epidemic and track long-range
changes in child and adolescent obesity. By identifying the
depth and breadth of the obesity epidemic among the state's
children, ACHI has laid the groundwork for future efforts to
combat this problem. ACHI's continuing work to assess
students' BMI will assist the state in identifying where to
focus its resources and what programs are making the most
positive changes.
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Free Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program: An Exciting and
Effective Environmental Policy for Schools
Author
B. Berry, Produce for Better Health Foundation, Wilmington,
DE.
Background
Obesity among children is growing at an alarming
rate. Children across the country are not meeting the
recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Poor
nutrition in children can contribute to developing severe
health problems.
Methods
Federal legislation provided funding to provide free
fruits and vegetables to about 220 schools in 8 states plus
Indian Tribal Organizations in three additional states.
Through a collaboration with public and private partners, this
USDA program has been widely successful. The program works by
offering children a healthy fruit or vegetable snack at school.
Results
Results from a formal evaluation done in the original
4 states proved the program a huge success, leading to its
expansion from a pilot program into a permanently funded USDA
program. As a result of this program, students ate more fruits
and vegetables, ate less high-calorie, high-fat vending
choices, had better attention spans, felt better, and had
fewer discipline problems.
Discussion
Providing free fruit and vegetable snacks to
school children during the school day is an effective way to
increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables, both at
school and away from school. Learning Objectives: 1. Describe
how partnering between public and private partners resulted
in the successful fruit & vegetable initiative; 2. Describe the
results of the the free fruit & vegetable pilot program in
terms of its impact on students, principals, foodservice
personnel, school nurses and parents; 3. Discuss the process,
outcomes and lessons learned from this program.
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Evaluating School Nutrition Policies: Tools To Measure
Policy Implementation and Environmental Change To Support
Healthy Eating
Authors
S. Stone-Francisco1; L. Craypo1; M. Boyle2;
S. Samuels1.
1Samuels & Associates, Oakland, CA;
2Samuels & Associates, San Diego, CA.
Background
As a childhood obesity prevention measure, many
states and school districts are implementing nutrition policies
to improve the quality of a la carte foods (that is, foods sold
outside of the school meal program). The school policies contain
nutrition standards that are very detailed and at times complex
to implement at the school level. Schools need tools to evaluate
whether their a la carte foods adhere to their nutrition policy
standards.
Methods
In an independent evaluation of state and
district-level nutrition policies in 10 California school
districts from Fall 2003 to 2004, a set of tools were developed
to assess the a la carte foods and beverages sold on campuses
and their adherence to state and local policies. A Food and
Beverage Environmental Assessment Tool was developed and tested.
The information from the assessment tool was used to develop an
extensive school foods nutrient database to catalog the nutrient
profiles of >1,000 a la carte foods sold in primary and
secondary schools.
Results
More than half of all foods being sold did not adhere
to California state and local standards. The majority of types
of food including trail mix, frozen desserts, cookies, chips,
cakes & pastries, fried vegetables, side salads and candy did
not adhere, while all baked chips, seeds & nuts, and fruits &
vegetables did.
Discussion
By collecting hard-to-find nutrition information for
>1,000 a la carte foods, the groundwork has been laid for
determining the healthfulness of foods sold on school campuses.
Using this groundwork to conduct an analysis of the types of a
la carte foods sold in schools provides an understanding of
where improvements to the school environment are still needed.
Combining the assessment tool with the school foods nutrient
database can help determine the feasibility of changing the
school environment in order to support healthy eating.
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