NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS

Survey Report July 1996

Nutrition Education in

Public Elementary and

Secondary Schools

Carin Celebuski

Elizabeth Farris

Westat, Inc.

Judi Carpenter

Project Officer

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Educational Research and Improvement NCES 96-852
U.S. Department of Education U.S. Department of Agriculture

Richard W. Riley Dan Glickman

Secretary Secretary

Office of Educational Research and Improvement Ellen Haas

Sharon P. Robinson Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and

Assistant Secretary Consumer Services

National Center for Education Statistics Food and Consumer Service

Pascal D. Forgione, Jr. William E. Ludwig

Commissioner Administrator

Jeanne E. Griffith Office of Analysis and Evaluation

Associate Commissioner Michael E. Fishman

Acting Director

National Center for Education Statistics

"The purpose of the Center shall be to collect, and analyze,

and disseminate statistics and other data related to

education in the United States and in other nations."—

Section 406(b) of the General Education Provisions Act, as

amended (20 U.S. C. 1221e-1).

July 1996

Contact:

Judi Carpenter

(202) 219-1333

This report was prepared by Westat, Inc., under contract with the National Center for Education

Statistics and under a cooperative agreement with the Food and Consumer Service, U.S.

Department of Agriculture.
iii

Highlights • Practically all public schools (99 percent) offer nutrition

education somewhere within the curriculum, and many integrate it

within the total curriculum (70 percent). Nutrition education is

concentrated within the health curriculum (84 percent), science

classes (72 percent), and school health program (68 percent)

(table 1). Although nutrition education is an active area, the

intensity and quality of the nutrition messages students are

receiving is not known.

• For each grade from kindergarten through eighth, 50 percent or

more of all schools have district or state requirements for students

to receive nutrition education. However, only 40 percent have

these requirements for ninth and tenth grades; and about 20

percent for eleventh and twelfth grades (figure 1).

• Topics in nutrition covered by more than 90 percent of all schools

are: the relationship between diet and health, finding and choosing

healthy foods, nutrients and their food sources, the Food Guide

Pyramid, and the Dietary Guidelines and goals (table 4).

However, with the exception of the Food Guide Pyramid, less than

half of schools cover these topics thoroughly.

• Overall, schools focus on increasing students’ knowledge about

what is meant by good nutrition, with less emphasis on influencing

students’ motivation, attitudes, and eating behaviors. Four of the

five topics covered by more than 90 percent of all schools are

related to knowledge. With the exception of finding and choosing

healthy foods, less than one-third of schools provide thorough

coverage of topics related to motivation, attitudes, and eating

behaviors (table 4).

• Research has shown that schools or districts where the nutrition

education efforts are coordinated by a person or group have an

opportunity to present a more focused message to students about

the importance of healthy eating. However, the majority of

schools (61 percent) have no nutrition education coordination,

meaning each teacher is responsible for his or her own lessons

(table 6).

• Most schools use materials developed by teachers in their schools

(90 percent), health or science textbooks (89 percent), and

materials developed for a specific grade level (83 percent) (table

10).

• Ninety-seven percent of schools report receiving nutrition lesson

materials from at least one source outside the school, most often

from professional or trade associations (87 percent), and the food

industry (86 percent). However, for any given outside source,

only 37 percent or less of schools used all or
iv

most of the materials received. Of the materials from sources

outside the school, schools reported the highest classroom usage

for those received from the food industry or commodities groups,

professional or trade associations, the USDA Food and Nutrition

Information Center, and state education agencies (table 8).

• Over 90 percent of all schools offer nutrition education through

the school meals program. Most information is offered through

bulletin boards with nutrition displays (65 percent) or during

school lunch week (51 percent). Less than half of school meals

programs offer nutrient information, serve meals to correspond

with classroom activities, give tours or provide nutrition input to

newsletters. Less than one quarter of school meals programs

provide nutrition education in the classroom or conduct tasting

parties (table 11).

• Most respondents (84 percent) are of the opinion that the meals

programs in their schools follow generally healthy eating practices

(figure 5). Schools reporting that their meals programs follow

healthy eating practices are substantially more likely to be

involved in nutrition education activities than those that do not

report following them (table 14).
v

Table of Contents

Page

Highlights ..................................................................................................................... iii

Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1

Nutrition Education in the School Curriculum.................................................................... 4

Nutrition Education Topics ............................................................................................... 7

Coordination of Nutrition Education.................................................................................. 10

Resources for Nutrition Education..................................................................................... 13

Materials Used to Teach Nutrition................................................................. 13

Sources of Materials..................................................................................... 13

School Meals Program.................................................................................. 15

Other Resources............................................................................................ 19

Summary and Conclusions................................................................................................ 20

List of Appendices

Appendix

A Survey Methodology and Data Reliability...................................................... 23

B Tables of Standard Errors............................................................................. 31

C Survey Form................................................................................................. 51

D U.S. Public Law 103-448. 103d Cong. 2 Nov. 1994. Child Nutrition

Act of 1966. Section 19(a) ........................................................................... 57
vi

List of Figures

Figure Page

1 Percent of public schools where nutrition is taught and where nutrition education

is required, by grade: 1995........................................................................................ 5

2 Percent of public schools where nutrition is taught and where nutrition education

is required in at least one grade, by instructional level: 1995...................................... 7

3 Percent of coordinators with various highest levels of training in nutrition or a

nutrition-related area: 1995....................................................................................... 12

4 Percent of public schools that report student and parent input into the meals

program, by geographic region: 1995........................................................................ 17

5 Percent of respondents who are of the opinion that their school meals program

follows generally healthy eating practices, by instructional level: 1995....................... 18

6 Percent of public schools that use special events for nutrition education: 1995 ........... 19
vii

List of Tables

Table Page

1 Percent of public schools offering nutrition education within the school curriculum,

by school characteristics: 1995 ................................................................................. 4

2 Percent of public schools where nutrition is taught, by grade and geographic

region: 1995 ............................................................................................................. 6

3 Percent of public schools where nutrition education is required, by grade and

geographic region: 1995............................................................................................ 6

4 Percent of public schools that cover various topics in nutrition education, the

percent that cover them thoroughly, and the percent for whom the topic

represents a main focus of nutrition education at their school: 1995 ............................ 8

5 Percent of public schools that cover various topics in nutrition education, by

instructional level: 1995............................................................................................ 9

6 Percent of public schools with various types of nutrition education coordination,

by school characteristics: 1995 ................................................................................. 11

7 Percent of public schools offering nutrition education within the school curriculum,

by person or group responsible for coordinating nutrition education: 1995 ................. 12

8 Percent of public schools that use various types of materials to teach nutrition

education, by instructional level: 1995....................................................................... 13

9 Percent of public schools that receive and use materials for nutrition education

from various sources: 1995....................................................................................... 14

10 Percent of public schools that receive and use materials for nutrition education

from the Cooperative Extension Service, by school characteristics: 1995 ................... 15

11 Percent of public schools where the school meals program provides nutrition

education or coordinates with classroom efforts, by instructional level: 1995 ............. 16

12 Percent of public schools where the school meals program provides nutrition

education or coordinates with classroom efforts, by geographic region: 1995 ............. 16

13 Percent of public schools where the school meals program solicits input through

a student advisory group or pretesting new foods, by instructional level: 1995 ........... 17

14 Percent of public schools that report various meals program efforts, by

whether the respondent is of the opinion that their school meals program follows

generally healthy eating practices: 1995 .................................................................... 19
viii
1

Introduction The link between food and health has been well documented by

numerous studies and reports describing the impact of dietary intake

on disease prevention and health promotion. Dietary

recommendations and long-term health objectives, including the

Dietary Guidelines for Americans1 and the Year 2000 Health

Objectives for the Nation, 2 call for Americans to reduce intake of total

fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol; increase intake of fruits, vegetables,

grain products, and foods rich in calcium; and moderate intake of

sugars, salt, and alcohol.

Many Americans consume excess calories for their level of activity,

and have diets inconsistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans-

-too high in fat, sodium, and sugar, with not enough grains, fruits, and

vegetables. These unhealthy eating patterns may contribute to illness

and premature death in the long term.

Dietary factors are associated with 5 of the 10 leading causes

of death: coronary heart disease, some types of cancer,

stroke, noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and

atherosclerosis.3

Because eating habits developed during childhood have the potential to

last a lifetime, it is important for children to learn about the benefits of

good nutrition. Therefore, the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 views

nutrition education as “a matter of highest priority.”4 Its importance

is further addressed in Healthy People 2000, the list of health

objectives developed by the U.S. Public Health Service, in which the

public health community seeks, by the year 2000, to increase to at

least 75 percent the proportion of the Nation’s schools that provide

nutrition education from preschool through 12th grade, preferably as a

part of quality school health education. Education to establish healthy

eating habits early in life can “assure that individuals have the

information and skills they need to protect and enhance their own

health and the health of their families.”5

 

1 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services. Home and Garden Bulletin No. 232. Fourth Edition. 1995.

2Healthy People 2000: National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives. 1991. U.S. Department

of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service. (PHS) 91-50212.

3Healthy People 2000, p. 112.

4

 See Appendix D, Child Nutrition Act: P.L. 103-448, Sec. 19(a).

5 Healthy People 2000, p. 251.
2

The education community is also supportive of nutrition education

goals. A guide for the education community, the National Education

Goals in the Goals 2000: Educate America Act states that, by the

year 2000, “all students will have access to physical education and

health education to ensure they are healthy and fit.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) actively supports these

Year 2000 Goals through its School Meals Initiative for Healthy

Children,

6

 which promotes proper nutrition and nutrition education

for children based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the

Food Guide Pyramid. This initiative requires schools to serve meals

that meet Federal Dietary Guidelines and to teach children about

nutrition so they will choose foods that are good for them. The USDA

established Team Nutrition to help schools implement the new

requirements in the School Meals Initiative. The mission of Team

Nutrition is to improve the health and education of young people by

creating innovative public and private partnerships that promote food

choices for a healthful diet through media, schools, families, and the

community. Team Nutrition is working toward its goals through two

initiatives which include training and technical assistance to school

food service personnel and adequate nutrition education for children.7

In-school efforts emphasize the importance of nutrition education to

the success of nutrition policy changes in school meals.

It is not enough to change the food on the plate. We must also

provide the knowledge and the skills that enable children to

make choices that lead to a nutritious diet and improved

health. It also is vital that local meal providers receive

training on how to improve meal quality. This dual initiative

to educate children and assist meal providers offers many

opportunities to influence both what foods are offered by

schools and what foods are eaten by children.8

These efforts are supplemented with materials developed and

distributed through partner networks and directly by USDA’s Food

and Consumer Service and its Cooperative State Research, Education,

and Extension Service, as well as other government agencies such as

the Department of Education and the Department of Health and

Human Services.

 

6

 Part of the implementation of the National School Lunch Program. 7CFR Parts 210 and 220.

7

Team Nutrition. 1995. U.S. Department of Agriculture.

8

 Federal Register, June 13, 1995.
3

This report presents the findings from the survey Nutrition Education

in Public Schools, K-12 that was requested by the Food and

Consumer Service of the USDA. It was designed to provide data on

the status of nutrition education in U.S. public schools in order to help

track current and future initiatives. The survey was conducted during

the spring of 1995 through the Fast Response Survey System (FRSS)

of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) by Westat,

Inc., a research firm in Rockville, Maryland.

The questionnaires were sent to 1,000 school principals of a nationally

representative sample of U.S. public elementary, middle, and high

schools (see Appendix A for survey methodology). The principals

were asked to assign the completion of the survey to the person most

knowledgeable about nutrition education at the school. Respondents

were encouraged to consult with others if they were unsure of the

answer to a question. The survey requested information about the

following issues:

• The placement of nutrition education in the curriculum,

• The content of nutrition instruction,

• The coordination of nutrition education, and

• Resources for nutrition education.

Survey findings are presented for all schools and frequently by the

following school characteristics:

• School instructional level: elementary school; middle school;

and high school.

• School enrollment size: small (less than 300); moderate (300-

499); and large (500 or more).

• Metropolitan status of school: city; urban fringe; town; and

rural.

• Geographic region: Northeast; Southeast; Central; and West.

Data have been weighted to national estimates of public schools. All

comparative statements made in this report have been tested for

statistical significance though chi-square tests or t-tests adjusted for

multiple comparisons using the Bonferroni adjustment and are
4

significant at the .05 level or better. However, not all statistically

significant comparisons have been presented.

Nutrition

Education in

the School

Curriculum

Practically all public schools (99 percent) offer nutrition education

somewhere within the curriculum and many integrate it within the

total curriculum (70 percent ) (table 1). The most common placement

is within the health curriculum (84 percent), but many schools also

teach nutrition through science classes (72 percent), or through a

school health program (68 percent). While this does not provide

information about the intensity or quality of the nutrition messages

students are receiving, it shows that the messages are being conveyed

in a variety of ways within the schools.

Table 1.—Percent of public schools offering nutrition education

within the school curriculum, by school characteristics:

1995

School characteristic

Somewhere

within

curriculum

Integrated

within the

total

curriculum

Health

curriculum

Science

curriculum

School

health

program

Home

economics curriculum

All public schools... 99 70 84 72 68 41

Instructional level

Elementary school..... 100 80 81 73 67 16

Middle school............ 99 55 85 71 66 72

High school............... 99 50 93 71 73 92

Size of enrollment

Small......................... 99 71 82 69 66 44

Moderate................... 99 72 83 74 68 27

Large......................... 99 68 86 74 69 49

Metropolitan status

City ........................... 99 78 83 73 66 29

Urban fringe.............. 99 68 82 70 69 36

Town......................... 99 69 85 70 69 44

Rural ......................... 100 65 85 76 68 53

Geographic region

Northeast................... 100 72 79 75 71 40

Southeast................... 100 71 78 71 70 38

Central ...................... 100 68 88 69 69 45

West.......................... 98 69 88 75 65 41

NOTE: Respondents could report nutrition education in more than one place.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
5

Given their classroom organization, elementary schools (80 percent)

tend more than schools at other instructional levels to offer nutrition

education integrated within the total school curriculum, although half

or more of middle and high schools also reported this. High schools

are most likely to place nutrition education within the health

curriculum (93 percent) and the home economics curriculum (92

percent). The health curriculum is also the most common placement

for nutrition education in middle schools (85 percent). Fifty-three

percent of rural schools offer nutrition education through the home

economics curriculum, compared with 29 percent of city schools.

Nutrition is taught in each and every grade from kindergarten through

tenth grade in over 90 percent of all public schools; it is taught in

eleventh and twelfth grades in over 80 percent of schools (figure 1 and

table 2). These statistics do not reflect the proportion of students

participating at each grade level, but give a broad overview of

nutrition education offerings. The percent of schools with nutrition

education requirements is substantially lower at each grade level than

the percent of schools that teach nutrition. For each grade from

kindergarten through eighth, at least 50 percent of all schools have

district or state requirements for students to receive nutrition

education; 40 percent have these requirements for ninth and tenth

grades; about 20 percent for eleventh and twelfth grades (figure 1 and

table 3).

Figure 1.—Percent of public schools where nutrition is taught and

where nutrition education is required, by grade: 1995

0

20

40

60

80

100

K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Grade

Percent

Taught

Required

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
6

Table 2.—Percent of public schools where nutrition is taught, by

grade and geographic region: 1995

Grade All public

schools Northeast Southeast Central West

Kindergarten.......... 92 90 93 92 91

1st grade ................ 94 89 94 95 96

2nd grade............... 96 92 97 97 96

3rd grade................ 94 92 97 93 95

4th grade................ 96 93 100 95 95

5th grade................ 93 90 98 91 94

6th grade................ 93 94 97 91 92

7th grade................ 95 92 99 96 91

8th grade................ 91 89 95 94 88

9th grade................ 91 84 91 93 93

10th grade.............. 92 88 95 89 95

11th grade.............. 84 86 90 81 82

12th grade.............. 84 83 89 82 82

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.

Table 3.—Percent of public schools where nutrition education is

required, by grade and geographic region: 1995

Grade All public

schools Northeast Southeast Central West

Kindergarten.......... 58 58 65 58 53

1st grade ................ 61 62 66 61 55

2nd grade............... 62 62 70 64 55

3rd grade................ 60 60 68 61 54

4th grade................ 62 60 75 68 51

5th grade................ 60 59 72 59 54

6th grade................ 58 58 66 56 54

7th grade................ 58 62 64 57 51

8th grade................ 50 51 58 48 46

9th grade................ 40 37 49 37 39

10th grade.............. 40 39 39 36 45

11th grade.............. 23 36 21 21 20

12th grade.............. 20 28 21 20 16

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.

Among all schools, 99 percent teach nutrition in at least one of their

grades, and 64 percent require nutrition education in at least one of

their grades (figure 2). Substantially more elementary schools than

high schools require nutrition education in at least one of their grades

(68 versus 54 percent).
7

Figure 2.—Percent of public schools where nutrition is taught and

where nutrition education is required in at least one

grade, by instructional level: 1995

99 99 98 97

64

68

6

1 54

0

20

40

60

80

10

All public

schools

Elementary

school

Middle

school

High

school

Instructional level

Percent

Nutrition taught

Nutrition education

required

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.

Nutrition

Education

Topics

Nutrition education in the classroom is intended to accomplish three

important objectives.9 The first is to convey needed information, or

the facts about nutrition, so students are knowledgeable about healthy

eating practices. The second is to change unhealthy attitudes so

students have the motivation to establish healthy eating practices. The

third is to teach positive skills so students have all the tools to

accomplish their nutritional goals. The challenge is to further these

objectives in ways that are age-appropriate and that respect personal

and cultural preferences. The survey included a list of 17 nutrition

topics that were divided into the following 3 categories: knowledge,

motivation and attitudes, and behavior.10 Respondents reported which

of the topics are covered in any grade in the school, the extent of

coverage (for those topics covered), and which topics represent a main

focus of nutrition education at the school.

Schools reported covering a wide range of topics. Each of the 17

topics are covered in the nutrition curricula of at least 60 percent of

schools (table 4). Topics covered by more than 90 percent of schools,

and covered thoroughly by the greatest percent, are the following:

 

9

 Collins, Janet L., Leavy Small, M., Kann, L., Collins Pateman, B., Gold, R., and Kolbe, L., “School Health

Education.” Journal of School Health, 65(8) (October 1995):302.

10 See Appendix C, Survey Form, Question 2.
8

• The relationship between diet and health,

• Finding and choosing healthy foods,

• Nutrients and their food sources,

• The Food Guide Pyramid, and

• Dietary guidelines and goals.

Table 4.—Percent of public schools that cover various topics in

nutrition education, the percent that cover them

thoroughly, and the percent for whom the topic

represents a main focus of nutrition education at their

school: 1995

Topic Covered Covered

thoroughly

Represents

a main

focus*

Relationship between diet and

health........................................... 97 45 47

Finding and choosing healthy

foods............................................ 97 40 34

Nutrients and their food sources...... 96 43 42

Food Guide Pyramid ....................... 94 53 47

Dietary guidelines and goals............ 92 38 35

Reading food labels......................... 90 32 8

Influences on food choices, such as

habits, advertising, beliefs, and

cultural preferences...................... 87 21 15

Changing eating habits

(e.g., willingness to try new

foods)........................................... 85 20 9

Link between diet and diseases

such as hypertension, heart

disease, and cancer....................... 83 29 13

Interpreting nutritional information

from food labels........................... 83 31 9

Healthy weight control .................... 82 23 5

Preparing healthy food .................... 78 32 8

Developing a personal nutrition

plan ............................................. 74 22 4

Body image..................................... 72 18 4

Signs and symptoms of eating

disorders and health risks of

diets, pills, binging, and purging .. 71 28 8

Keeping a food diary ....................... 61 22 1

Association between eating and

stress ........................................... 60 17 4

*Schools were asked to report up to three.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
9

Many topics are covered at all instructional levels. However, high

schools are more likely to cover such age-appropriate topics as

healthy weight control, body image, eating disorders, and the

association between eating and stress; middle schools are next most

likely; and elementary schools are least likely to cover these topics

(table 5).

Table 5.—Percent of public schools that cover various topics in

nutrition education, by instructional level: 1995

Topic All public

schools

Elementary

school

Middle

school

High

school

Relationship between diet and

health................................... 97 96 97 99

Finding and choosing healthy

foods.................................... 97 96 96 99

Nutrients and their food

sources................................. 96 95 96 99

Food Guide Pyramid ............... 94 93 94 96

Dietary guidelines and goals.... 92 90 93 97

Reading food labels................. 90 86 94 98

Influences on food choices,

such as habits, advertising,

beliefs, and cultural

preferences........................... 87 83 90 96

Changing eating habits

(e.g., willingness to try new

foods)................................... 85 82 84 96

Link between diet and diseases

such as hypertension, heart

disease, and cancer............... 83 76 93 96

Interpreting nutritional

information from food labels 83 77 91 97

Healthy weight control ............ 82 74 91 98

Preparing healthy food ............ 78 69 89 95

Developing a personal nutrition

plan ..................................... 74 66 81 90

Body image............................. 72 62 82 93

Signs and symptoms of eating

disorders and health risks of

diets, pills, binging, and

purging ................................ 71 57 89 98

Keeping a food diary ............... 61 51 71 82

Association between eating and

stress ................................... 60 46 75 92

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
10

Schools were asked to select the three topics that represent a main

focus of nutrition education at their schools. The Food Guide

Pyramid and the relationship between diet and health were each

selected by 47 percent of all schools surveyed. Nutrients and their

food sources were selected by 42 percent of schools, and 35 percent

selected dietary guidelines and goals as part of the school’s main focus

(table 4).

Coordination

of Nutrition

Education

Research has shown that schools or districts where the nutrition

education efforts are coordinated by a person or group have an

opportunity to present a more focused message to students about the

importance of healthy eating. Coordination can integrate the

curriculum across grades so the nutrition lessons at each grade level

build on the previous year’s lessons, can integrate the nutrition

messages across subjects within a grade, and can integrate classroom

nutrition lessons with related nonclassroom activities. In addition,

coordinators can act as repositories and resources for materials

received by the school or district.

Schools reported the manner in which their nutrition education efforts

are coordinated by a person or group. The majority of public schools

(61 percent) have no nutrition education coordination, meaning each

teacher is responsible for his or her nutrition lessons (table 6). About

9 percent of the schools have one person within the school

coordinating nutrition education; 24 percent coordinate using a group

or committee; and about 6 percent have someone outside the school,

for example from the district, coordinate nutrition education.

Coordination from outside the school is more likely for elementary

schools (8 percent) compared with middle schools (3 percent), and for

city schools (13 percent) compared with town (3 percent) or rural

schools (3 percent). A school’s type of nutrition education

coordination does not affect the curriculum placement of nutrition

education within the school (table 7).11

 

11 Because of the smaller sample sizes for each type of coordination, the standard errors for these percents were

large (see Table 7a in Appendix B). Therefore, the differences shown in table 7 are not statistically significant.
11

Table 6.—Percent of public schools with various types of nutrition

education coordination, by school characteristics: 1995

School characteristic

One person

for the whole

school

Several

teachers, a

group or

committee

Someone

outside the

school*

No

coordination

effort

All public schools.... 9 24 6 61

Instructional level

Elementary school...... 7 19 8 66

Middle school ............ 14 40 3 44

High school................ 12 25 4 59

Size of enrollment

Small ......................... 10 19 6 66

Moderate ................... 10 21 6 62

Large ......................... 9 28 6 57

Metropolitan status

City............................ 8 20 13 59

Urban fringe............... 9 24 7 60

Town ......................... 13 28 3 56

Rural.......................... 8 23 3 67

Geographic region

Northeast ................... 13 21 7 59

Southeast ................... 6 25 9 60

Central....................... 11 28 5 56

West .......................... 8 19 6 67

*For example, from the district.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
12

Table 7.—Percent of public schools offering nutrition education

within the school curriculum, by person or group

responsible for coordinating nutrition education: 1995

Placement of nutrition

education

One person

for the whole

school

Several

teachers, a

group or

committee

Someone

outside the

school*

No

coordination

effort

Integrated within the

total curriculum......... 60 68 83 70

Health curriculum ......... 79 88 90 82

Science curriculum........ 65 72 70 74

School health program... 68 81 74 62

Home economics

curriculum................. 47 52 17 39

*For example, from the district.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.

The educational background and training of the people responsible for

coordination of nutrition education varies among the small number of

schools that have a single coordinator on staff (figure 3). Seventy-two

percent have a coordinator with a bachelor’s degree or higher in

nutrition or a nutrition-related area. About 61 percent have a

coordinator, regardless of education level, who has completed some

inservice or other training in nutrition or a nutrition-related area (not

shown in a table).

Figure 3.—Percent of coordinators with various highest levels of

training in nutrition or a nutrition-related area: 1995

1%

5%

20%

38%

34%

2%

Graduate degree

Bachelor's degree

Associate's degree

College coursework

Inservice training

None

Highest training

NOTE: Based on the estimated number of public schools with a single nutrition education

coordinator: 7,290 (9 percent).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
13

Resources for

Nutrition

Education

Nutrition education resources available to schools include not only

curriculum and other lesson materials but also the school meals

program, guest speakers, and assemblies and other events. All of

these can be coordinated to enhance positive nutrition messages. The

FRSS survey asked schools about receiving these resources and the

extent to which resources received are used at their schools.

Materials Used to

Teach Nutrition

Various types of materials are commonly used by schools to teach

nutrition in the classroom. Most schools use materials developed by

teachers in their schools (90 percent), health or science textbooks (89

percent), and materials developed for a specific grade level (83

percent) (table 8). High schools are more likely than schools at other

instructional levels to use state-recommended (79 percent) or statemandated (58 percent) materials for nutrition instruction, and

elementary schools (44 percent) are more likely than middle schools

(33 percent) to use materials developed by a district-level curriculum

coordinator (table 8).

Table 8.—Percent of public schools that use various types of

materials to teach nutrition education, by instructional

level: 1995

Type of material used All public

schools

Elementary

school

Middle

school High school

From external sources........... 92 93 90 94

Developed by teachers in the

school ................................. 90 90 87 93

Health or science textbooks... 89 87 90 93

Developed for a specific

grade level .......................... 83 87 81 74

State-recommended............... 65 61 64 79

State-mandated ..................... 44 40 43 58

Developed by district-level

curriculum coordinator ........ 40 44 33 35

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.

Sources of

Materials

Many schools use packaged materials and lesson plans for nutrition

instruction. Given a list of 10 outside sources, schools were asked to

identify those from which they received nutrition education resources

for teaching, and the extent to which the resources were used at their

school. Ninety-seven percent of schools report receiving nutrition

lesson materials from at least one source outside of the school, most

often from professional or trade
14

associations (87 percent) and the food industry or commodities

groups, such as the Dairy Council or the Potato Board (86 percent)

(table 9).

Table 9.—Percent of public schools that receive and use materials

for nutrition education from various sources: 1995

Source Materials

received

All or most

materials used*

All sources ............................ 97 -

Professional or trade association.... 87 32

Food industry or commodities

group......................................... 86 37

School library................................ 71 33

Cooperative Extension Service ...... 65 22

USDA Food and Nutrition

Information Center .................... 64 32

State education agency .................. 58 31

State Nutrition Education Training

(NET) Program ......................... 42 29

American School Food Service

Association................................ 40 26

Colleges or universities................. 35 18

National Food Service Management

Institute..................................... 26 24

*Of schools that received the materials.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.

The two Federal government sources, the Cooperative Extension

Service (also known as the USDA Extension Service) and the USDA

Food and Nutrition Information Center, were identified by over 60

percent of schools as sources for lesson materials and other resources.

The Cooperative Extension Service has as its mission to diffuse

practical information about agriculture, home economics, and rural

energy. Rural schools (78 percent) and small schools (75 percent) are

most likely to receive materials from this source (table 10). Because

of the sample size for this survey, the effects of school size cannot be

distinguished from the effects of metropolitan status through a

multivariate analysis, but among all public schools in the U.S., small

schools tend to be rural and rural schools tend to be small.
15

Table 10.—Percent of public schools that receive and use

materials for nutrition education from the Cooperative

Extension Service, by school characteristics: 1995

School characteristic Materials

received

All or most

materials used*

All public schools.................. 65 22

Size of enrollment

Small ........................................ 75 24

Moderate................................... 67 18

Large......................................... 57 23

Metropolitan status

City........................................... 57 24

Urban fringe.............................. 45 19

Town......................................... 72 25

Rural......................................... 78 20

*Of schools that received the materials.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.

Of the materials from sources outside the school, schools reported the

highest classroom usage for those received from the food industry or

commodities groups, professional or trade associations, the USDA

Food and Nutrition Information Service, and state education agencies

(table 9).

School Meals

Program

Healthy People 2000 states that “optimally, school nutrition

education should include educational cafeteria experiences as well as

classroom work.”12 It appears that most schools are taking some steps

toward achieving this goal. Ninety-one percent of all schools offer

nutrition education for students in some way through the school meals

program: 93 percent of elementary, 88 percent of middle, and 86

percent of high schools (table 11). More than half of elementary

schools reported displaying nutrition information on the cafeteria

bulletin board and sponsoring a “school lunch week” where parents

eat with students and participate in other activities. Meals programs in

elementary schools are more likely than those at other instructional

levels to provide kitchen tours.

 

12 Healthy People 2000, p. 127.
16

Table 11.—Percent of public schools where the school meals

program provides nutrition education or coordinates

with classroom efforts, by instructional level: 1995

Meals program effort All public

schools

Elementary

school

Middle

school

High

school

Any effort.......................... 91 93 88 86

Bulletin board with nutrition

displays................................. 65 68 63 57

School lunch week .................. 51 57 45 37

Nutrient information ............... 48 49 46 47

Serves meals to correspond

with classroom activities ....... 46 49 44 37

Tours...................................... 35 39 27 28

Nutrition input to newsletter ... 32 36 29 20

Education in classroom............ 22 25 16 18

Tasting parties ........................ 21 24 19 15

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.

Table 12.—Percent of public schools where the school meals

program provides nutrition education or coordinates

with classroom efforts, by geographic region: 1995

Meals program effort All public

schools Northeast Southeast Central West

Any effort........................ 91 91 96 89 88

Bulletin board with nutrition

displays............................... 65 57 85 60 60

School lunch week ................ 51 40 69 49 46

Nutrient information ............. 48 49 61 41 44

Serves meals to correspond

with classroom activities ..... 46 51 60 37 41

Tours.................................... 35 28 51 28 34

Nutrition input to newsletter . 32 34 41 29 26

Education in classroom.......... 22 16 38 18 19

Tasting parties ...................... 21 17 39 15 18

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
17

In addition to actively providing education, the meals program can

support nutrition education by involving students in school menu

planning and making healthy foods available at school for students to

choose. About a third of all school meals programs solicit input from

student advisory groups, and about 1 in 5 ask parents and students to

pretest new foods (table 13 and figure 4).

Table 13.—Percent of public schools where the school meals

program solicits input through a student advisory

group or pretesting new foods, by instructional level:

1995

Type of input All public

schools

Elementary

school

Middle

School

High

school

Student advisory group

provides input to the meal

service .................................... 34 34 37 34

School food service director has

parents and students pretest

new foods for the cafeteria.......

20 20 24 17

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.

Figure 4.—Percent of public schools that report student and

parent input into the meals program, by geographic

region: 1995

34

20

34

18

46

26 29

19

31

18

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent All public schools

Northeast

Southeast

Central

West

Input from student advisory group to 

the meal service

Parents and students pretest new 

foods for the cafeteria

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
18

Most respondents (84 percent) are of the opinion that their school

meals programs follow generally healthy eating practices (as defined

by the respondent) (figure 5). In schools where this is not the case,

students can receive inconsistent messages about food choices. In

addition, schools reporting that their meals programs follow healthy

eating practices are substantially more likely to be involved in

nutrition education activities than those that are reported as not

following them. For example, 25 percent of meals programs described

as healthy provide nutrition education in the classroom versus

7 percent of those not described as healthy. Those described as

healthy also more often serve meals coordinated with classroom

activities (51 versus 17 percent), and more often have cafeteria

bulletin boards with nutrition displays (72 versus 29 percent)

(table 14).

Figure 5.—Percent of respondents who are of the opinion that

their school meals program follows generally healthy

eating practices, by instructional level: 1995

84

88

76 77

0

20

40

60

80

100

All public schools Elementary school Middle school High school 

Instructional level

Percent

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
19

Table 14.—Percent of public schools that report various meals

program efforts, by whether the respondent is of the

opinion that their school meals program follows

generally healthy eating practices: 1995

Meals program effort

Reported

following

generally

healthy eating

practices

Reported not

following

generally

healthy eating

practices

Bulletin board with nutrition displays.......... 72 29

School lunch week ...................................... 57 19

Nutrient information ................................... 54 18

Serves meals to correspond with classroom

activities ................................................. 51 17

Tours.......................................................... 39 13

Nutrition input to newsletter ....................... 37 6

Education in classroom................................ 25 7

Tasting parties ............................................ 25 3

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.

Other Resources Nutrition lessons can also be imparted through special events such as

assemblies, guest speakers, or health fairs. Just about three-quarters

of schools reported using special events in the past year: 63 percent

used guest speakers on nutrition and 25 percent held health fairs

(figure 6).

Figure 6.—Percent of public schools that use special events for

nutrition education: 1995

74

63

25

0

20

40

60

80

100

Guest

speakers

or health

fairs

Guest

speakers

Health

fairs

Percent

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
20

Summary and

Conclusions

Nutrition education is important because it has the potential to

improve the health and extend the lives of generations of Americans.

The results of this survey indicate that nutrition education is of great

interest to educators. It is offered by most public schools, is covered

in many grades, and a wide range of topics are covered. However,

even though nutrition education is an active area, the intensity and

quality of the nutrition messages students are receiving is not known.

In addition, because nutrition education is concentrated in the health

curriculum, science classes, and school health programs, the

proportion of students participating at each grade level is not known.

There appears to be room for additional coordination of nutrition

education across different subjects within the curriculum, across grade

levels, and between the curriculum and the school meals program.

The survey findings also indicate that schools are focusing on

increasing students’ knowledge about what is meant by good nutrition,

with less emphasis on influencing students’ motivation, attitudes, and

eating behaviors. One objective of nutrition education is to increase

knowledge. Other objectives are to change unhealthy attitudes so

students have the motivation to establish healthy eating practices and

teach positive skills so students have all the tools to accomplish their

nutritional goals. However, less than one-third of schools that covered

topics related to motivation, attitudes, or behavior provided thorough

coverage of those topics.

Schools use various types of materials to teach nutrition in the

classroom. However, while almost all schools receive nutrition lesson

materials from sources outside the school, schools do not use all or

most of the materials received. Most schools use materials developed

by teachers in the school and developed for a specific grade level.

These results may suggest that nutrition education could benefit from

development of appropriate materials, including age-appropriate

materials and materials designed to assist teachers in preparing their

own nutrition education lessons.

There is potential for the school meals program to assume a more

active role in nutrition education. Most schools are taking only some

steps toward achieving the Healthy People 2000 goal of including

educational cafeteria experiences as well as classroom work in school

nutrition education. The majority of effort consists of displaying a

bulletin board with nutrition messages, with few school meals

programs offering nutrient information, providing nutrition education

in the classroom, or conducting other educational activities.
21

Although schools or districts where the nutrition education efforts are

coordinated have an opportunity to present a more focused message to

students about the importance of healthy eating, most schools do not

have a nutrition coordinator. A person or group with responsibility

for coordination can integrate the curriculum across grades so the

nutrition lessons at each grade level build on the previous year’s

lessons, integrate the nutrition messages across subjects within a

grade, and integrate classroom nutrition lessons with related

nonclassroom activities. A nutrition education coordinator can also

bring a background and skills in nutrition to schools. In the schools

that do have a single nutrition education coordinator, 72 percent have

a bachelor’s degree or higher in nutrition or a nutrition-related area.

The overall findings indicate that although nutrition education is

already of interest to public schools, there is room for additional

effort. In particular, opportunities exist for development of

appropriate materials and greater coordination across different

subjects within the curriculum, across grade levels, and between the

curriculum and other school resources like the school meals program

so the messages received by students are consistent, pervasive, and

aimed at motivating children to choose a healthy diet.
22
23

Appendix A

Survey Methodology

and

Data Reliability
24
25

Survey

Methodology

and Data

Reliability

The sampling frame for the FRSS Nutrition Education Survey was

constructed from the 1992-93 NCES Common Core of Data (CCD)

public school universe file and included over 78,000 public

elementary, middle, and high schools. Excluded from the frame were

special education, vocational, and alternative/other schools, schools in

the territories, and schools with the highest grade lower than grade

one.

Sample Selection Separate samples of 333 elementary, 333 middle, and 334 high

schools were selected for the survey. The samples were stratified by

geographic region (northeast, southeast, central, west), metropolitan

status (city, urban fringe, town, rural), and school size (less than 300;

300 to 499; and 500 or more) (table A-1).

Table A-1.—Weighted and unweighted number of responding

schools for FRSS 52, by classification variables:

1995

Unweighted Weighted

Total..................................................... 916 76,956

Instructional level

Elementary............................................... 295 47,734

Middle ..................................................... 312 13,485

High school .............................................. 309 15,737

Geographic region

Northeast.................................................. 172 14,379

Southeast.................................................. 221 16,363

Central..................................................... 238 22,876

West......................................................... 285 23,065

Enrollment size

Less than 300 ........................................... 131 19,871

300 - 500.................................................. 185 22,272

500 or more.............................................. 600 34,813

Metropolitan status

City.......................................................... 224 17,800

Urban fringe............................................. 238 18,083

Town........................................................ 242 19,161

Rural........................................................ 212 21,913

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S. Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
26

Respondents and

Response Rates

In April of 1995, questionnaires (see appendix C) were mailed to

1,000 public school principals. The principals were asked to direct

the survey to the person most knowledgeable about nutrition education

in the school and ask that person to complete the survey. Of the

schools sampled, 12 were found to be out of scope (no longer at the

same location or serving the same population), leaving 988 eligible

schools in the sample. Telephone followup was initiated in mid-May

and data collection was completed on July 7, with 916 respondents.

The final response rate was 93 percent. Item nonresponse rates

ranged from 0.0 percent to 1.0 percent.

Sampling and

Nonsampling

Errors

The responses were weighted to produce national estimates. The

weights were designed to adjust for the variable probabilities of

selection and differential nonresponse. The findings in this report are

estimates based on the sample selected and, consequently, are subject

to sampling variability.

The survey estimates are also subject to nonsampling errors that can

arise because of nonobservation (nonresponse or noncoverage) errors,

errors of reporting, and errors made in the collection of the data.

These errors can sometimes bias the data. Nonsampling errors may

include such problems as the differences in the respondents’

interpretations of the meaning of the questions; memory effects;

misrecording of responses; incorrect editing, coding, and data entry;

differences related to the particular time the survey was conducted; or

errors in data preparation. While general sampling theory can be used

in part to determine how to estimate the sampling variability of a

statistic, nonsampling errors are not easy to measure and, for

measurement purposes, usually require that an experiment be

conducted as part of the data collection procedures or that data

external to the study be used.

To minimize the potential for nonsampling errors, the questionnaire

was pretested with knowledgeable respondents like those who

completed the survey. During the design of the survey and the survey

pretest, an effort was made to check for consistency of interpretation

of questions and to eliminate ambiguous terms. The questionnaire and

instructions were extensively reviewed by the Food and Consumer

Service and the National Center for Education Statistics. Manual and

machine editing of the questionnaire responses were conducted to

check the data for accuracy and consistency. Cases with missing or

inconsistent items were recontacted by telephone. Imputations for

item nonresponse were not implemented, as item nonresponse rates

were very low. Data were keyed with 100 percent verification.
27

Variances The standard error is a measure of the variability of estimates due to

sampling. It indicates the variability of a sample estimate that would

be obtained from all possible samples of a given design and size.

Standard errors are used as a measure of the precision expected from

a particular sample. If all possible sampled were surveyed under

similar conditions, intervals of 1.96 standard errors below to 1.96

standard errors above a particular statistic would include the true

population parameter being estimated in about 95 percent of the

samples. This is what is called a 95 percent confidence interval. For

example, the estimated percentage of public elementary schools with

no nutrition education coordination is 66 percent and the estimated

standard error is 3.0 percent. The 95 percent confidence interval for

this statistic extends from [66 - (1.96 x 3) to 66 + (1.96 x 3)], or from

61.5 to 70.5.

Estimates of standard errors were computed using a technique known

as jackknife replication. As with any replication method, jackknife

replication involved constructing a number of subsamples (replicates)

from the full sample and computing the statistic of interest for each

replicate. The mean square error of the replicate estimates around the

full sample estimate provides an estimate of the variance of the

statistic. To construct the replications, 50 stratified subsamples of the

full sample were created and then dropped, one at a time, to define 50

jackknife replicates. A proprietary computer program (WESVAR),

available at Westat, Inc., was used to calculate the estimates of

standard errors.

Background

Information

The survey was conducted under contract with Westat, Inc., using the

NCES Fast Response Survey System (FRSS). Westat’s project

director was Elizabeth Farris, and the survey manager was Carin

Celebuski. Judi Carpenter was the NCES project officer. The data

were requested by Leslie Christovich and Marie Mitchell from the

Food and Consumer Service of the USDA. Marie Mitchell

coordinated the project for the USDA.

The survey instrument was developed with input from several persons

in the field of nutrition education, including individuals from the

Nutrition Education and Training Program and the Education

Information Advisory Committee (EIAC) of the Council of Chief

State School Officers. The EIAC committee members were the

following:

• John Perkins, Texas

• Kathy Kuser, New Jersey

• Joe Worden, Florida
28

• Josephine Busha, Vermont

• Betty Marcelynas, Washington

• Jim Burke, Illinois

• Maria Balakshin, California

• Michael Smith, Wyoming

The report was reviewed by the following individuals:

Outside NCES

• Leslie Lytle, University of Minnesota

• Barbara Shannon, Pennsylvania State University

Inside NCES

• Jonaki Bose, NCES

• Mike Cohen, NCES

• Edith McArthur

• Mary Rollefson, NCES

• Peter Stowe, NCES

For more information about the Fast Response Survey System or the

Nutrition Education Survey, contact Judi Carpenter,

Elementary/Secondary Statistics Division, Office of Educational

Research and Improvement, National Center for Education Statistics,

555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20208-5651,

telephone (202) 219-1333.

Terms Defined on the

Survey Questionnaire

Nutrition education - refers to curricula, courses, lesson plans and

units, and activities designed to provide instruction with regard to the

nutritional value of foods and the relationship between food and

human health. Nutrition education can also be provided through

nonclassroom activities and events such as special assemblies and

health fairs, etc.

School health program - a program that may include school health

education and physical education; school-linked or school-based
29

health services designed to prevent, detect, and address health

problems; psychological assessment and counseling to promote child

development and emotional health; healthful school food service

selections; schoolsite health promotion for faculty and staff; and

integrated school and community health promotion efforts.

Nutrients - the nourishing components in food, such as vitamins,

minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, etc.

Nutrition-related area - academic subject areas related to nutrition

(e.g., home economics, science, health, physical education, dietetics).

Cooperative Extension Service - a public-funded, nonformal

educational system that links the USDA, land-grant universities, and

counties. Its purpose is to diffuse practical information on subjects

related to agriculture, home economics, and rural energy.

Materials - lesson plans, curriculum guides, posters, pamphlets, and

multimedia, etc., designed to improve health, achieve positive change

in dietary habits, and emphasize the relationship between diet and

health.

Classification

Variables

Metropolitan Status

Urban - a central city of a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

Urban fringe - a place within an MSA, but not primarily its central

city.

Town - a place not within an MSA, but with a population greater

than or equal to 2,500, and defined as urban by the U.S. Bureau of the

Census.

Rural - a place with a population less than 2,500 and defined as rural

by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

Geographic Region

Northeast - Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine,

Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Southeast - Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,

Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee,

Virginia, and West Virginia.
30

Central - Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota,

Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and

Wisconsin.

West - Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho,

Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah,

Washington, and Wyoming.

Instructional Level

Elementary school- Schools beginning with grade 6 or lower and

with no grade higher than 8.

Middle school - Schools with a low grade of 4 to 7 and a high grade

of 4 to 9.

High school - Schools with a grade 12 and no grade lower than 9.

Combined schools, with both elementary and secondary grades, were

included with high schools for sampling purposes.
31

Appendix B

Tables of Standard Errors
32
33

List of Tables of Standard Errors

Table Page

1a Standard errors of the percent of public schools offering nutrition education within

the school curriculum, by school characteristics: 1995............................................... 35

2a Standard errors of the percent of public schools where nutrition is taught, by

grade and geographic region: 1995............................................................................ 36

3a Standard errors of the percent of public schools where nutrition education is

required, by grade and geographic region: 1995......................................................... 37

4a Standard errors of the percent of public schools that cover various topics in

nutrition education, the percent that cover them thoroughly, and the percent for

whom the topic represents a main focus of nutrition education at their

school: 1995.............................................................................................................. 38

5a Standard errors of the percent of public schools that cover various topics in

nutrition education, by instructional level: 1995......................................................... 39

6a Standard errors of the percent of public schools with various types of nutrition

education coordination, by school characteristics: 1995 ............................................. 40

7a Standard errors of the percent of public schools offering nutrition education within

the school curriculum, by person or group reponsible for coordinating

nutrition education: 1995 .......................................................................................... 41

8a Standard errors of the percent of public schools that use various types of materials

to teach nutrition education, by instructional level: 1995............................................ 42

9a Standard errors of the percent of public schools that receive and use materials

for nutrition education from various sources: 1995.................................................... 43

10a Standard errors of the percent of public schools that receive and use materials for

nutrition education from the Cooperative Extension Service, by school

characteristics: 1995................................................................................................. 44

11a Standard errors of the percent of public schools where the school meals program

provides nutrition education or coordinates with classroom efforts, by instructional

level: 1995................................................................................................................ 45

12a Standard errors of the percent of public schools where the school meals program

provides nutrition education or coordinates with classroom efforts, by

geographic region: 1995............................................................................................ 46

13a Standard errors of the percent of public schools where the school meals program

solicits input through a student advisory group or pretesting new foods,

by instructional level: 1995....................................................................................... 47
34

List of Tables of Standard Errors (continued)

Table Page

14a Standard errors of the percent of public schools that report various meals program

efforts, by whether the respondent is of the opinion that their school meals program

follows generally health eating practices: 1995 .......................................................... 48

15a Estimates and standard errors for the figures: 1995 ................................................... 49
35

Table 1a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools offering nutrition education within the

school curriculum, by school characteristics: 1995

School characteristic

Within

curriculum

Integrated

within the

total

curriculum

Health

curriculum

Science

curriculum

School health

program

Home

economics

curriculum

All public schools............................. 0.3 1.6 1.6 1.9 2.0 1.5

Instructional level

Elementary school ............................... 0.5 2.1 2.3 2.7 3.0 2.3

Middle school...................................... 0.5 2.5 2.2 2.7 2.5 2.9

High school.......................................... 0.5 3.0 1.5 3.0 2.8 2.0

Size of enrollment

Small ................................................... 1.2 4.9 3.9 4.3 4.1 4.1

Moderate ............................................. 0.3 3.3 2.9 4.0 4.1 2.2

Large ................................................... 0.2 1.6 1.7 2.0 2.0 1.8

Metropolitan status

City...................................................... 1.3 2.4 3.2 3.5 4.3 3.2

Urban fringe ........................................ 0.3 3.3 3.4 3.8 3.5 2.8

Town ................................................... 0.4 3.0 2.9 4.4 3.8 3.6

Rural.................................................... 0.0 3.6 3.0 3.7 3.5 3.9

Geographic region

Northeast............................................. 0.0 4.0 3.9 4.8 4.5 4.0

Southeast............................................. 1.4 3.0 3.8 4.2 4.5 3.4

Central................................................. 1.3 3.5 3.0 4.5 4.4 3.8

West .................................................... 0.4 3.2 2.6 3.1 3.4 2.6

NOTE: Respondents could report nutrition education in more than one place.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S.

Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
36

Table 2a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools where nutrition is taught, by grade and

geographic region: 1995

Grade All public

schools Northeast Southeast Central West

Kindergarten........................................ 1.6 4.1 3.4 3.1 3.2

1st grade .............................................. 1.4 4.6 3.2 2.6 2.0

2nd grade............................................. 1.3 4.1 2.5 2.2 1.8

3rd grade.............................................. 1.5 4.3 2.5 3.2 2.3

4th grade.............................................. 1.2 4.0 0.0 2.6 2.5

5th grade.............................................. 1.4 4.2 2.1 3.6 2.5

6th grade.............................................. 1.6 2.9 1.8 3.8 3.1

7th grade.............................................. 1.3 3.9 0.9 2.0 2.8

8th grade.............................................. 1.5 4.7 2.1 2.6 3.1

9th grade.............................................. 1.7 4.3 4.1 3.1 2.6

10th grade............................................ 1.9 5.1 2.7 4.2 2.7

11th grade............................................ 2.5 4.1 3.4 4.8 4.7

12th grade............................................ 2.5 4.9 3.4 4.2 4.7

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S.

Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
37

Table 3a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools where nutrition education is required, by

grade and geographic region: 1995

Grade All public

schools Northeast Southeast Central West

Kindergarten........................................ 3.3 7.0 6.0 5.0 5.2

1st grade .............................................. 2.8 6.6 5.3 4.8 4.9

2nd grade............................................. 2.8 7.0 5.6 5.1 5.1

3rd grade.............................................. 2.7 7.6 5.6 5.4 5.4

4th grade.............................................. 2.9 8.0 5.8 5.5 5.2

5th grade.............................................. 2.8 7.4 5.6 5.7 5.1

6th grade.............................................. 2.8 8.6 7.0 6.7 5.5

7th grade.............................................. 3.1 8.2 7.1 7.4 6.1

8th grade.............................................. 3.4 8.7 7.2 7.1 5.7

9th grade.............................................. 2.9 6.5 6.5 6.3 6.2

10th grade............................................ 3.1 7.4 5.7 5.1 6.9

11th grade............................................ 2.2 6.8 4.5 4.7 5.0

12th grade............................................ 2.3 6.3 4.5 4.7 4.0

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S.

Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
38

Table 4a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools that cover various topics in nutrition

education, the percent that cover them thoroughly, and the percent for whom the topic

represents a main focus of nutrition education at their school: 1995

Topic Covered Covered

thoroughly

Represents

a main

focus*

Relationship between diet and health ................................................................. 0.8 2.0 1.8

Finding and choosing healthy foods.................................................................... 0.8 1.6 2.0

Nutrients and their food sources......................................................................... 0.8 2.0 1.8

Food Guide Pyramid .......................................................................................... 1.0 2.3 2.1

Dietary guidelines and goals............................................................................... 1.1 1.8 1.7

Reading food labels............................................................................................ 1.2 2.0 1.4

Influences on food choices, such as habits, advertising, beliefs, and cultural

preferences...................................................................................................... 1.2 1.7 1.4

Changing eating habits (e.g., willingness to try new foods)................................. 1.6 1.6 1.2

Link between diet and diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, and cancer.. 1.9 1.9 1.1

Interpreting nutritional information from food labels .......................................... 1.7 2.1 1.0

Healthy weight control ....................................................................................... 1.9 1.7 0.8

Preparing healthy food ....................................................................................... 1.9 2.2 0.9

Developing a personal nutrition plan .................................................................. 2.1 1.7 0.7

Body image........................................................................................................ 2.3 1.6 0.8

Signs and symptoms of eating disorders and health risks of .diets, pills, binging,

and purging..................................................................................................... 2.0 1.9 1.1

Keeping a food diary .......................................................................................... 1.9 1.8 0.4

Association between eating and stress................................................................ 2.1 1.8 0.7

*Schools were asked to report up to three.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S.

Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
39

Table 5a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools that cover various topics in nutrition

education, by instructional level: 1995

Topic All public

schools

Elementary

school

Middle

school

High

school

Relationship between diet and health ............................................................... 0.8 1.3 1.0 0.8

Finding and choosing healthy foods.................................................................. 0.8 1.1 1.0 0.6

Nutrients and their food sources....................................................................... 0.8 1.2 1.2 1.5

Food Guide Pyramid ........................................................................................ 1.0 1.5 1.4 1.4

Dietary guidelines and goals............................................................................. 1.1 1.7 1.7 1.2

Reading food labels.......................................................................................... 1.2 1.9 1.5 1.0

Influences on food choices, such as habits, advertising, beliefs, and cultural

preferences.................................................................................................... 1.2 2.0 1.7 1.2

Changing eating habits (e.g., willingness to try new foods)............................... 1.6 2.5 2.2 1.3

Link between diet and diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, and

cancer ........................................................................................................... 1.9 3.0 1.5 1.4

Interpreting nutritional information from food labels ........................................ 1.7 2.7 1.6 1.4

Healthy weight control ..................................................................................... 1.9 3.0 1.7 1.2

Preparing healthy food ..................................................................................... 1.9 3.0 1.8 1.5

Developing a personal nutrition plan ................................................................ 2.1 3.4 2.4 2.1

Body image...................................................................................................... 2.3 3.5 2.7 1.6

Signs and symptoms of eating disorders and health risks of diets, pills,

binging, and purging ..................................................................................... 2.0 3.2 1.7 0.9

Keeping a food diary ........................................................................................ 1.9 3.0 2.8 2.7

Association between eating and stress.............................................................. 2.1 3.0 2.6 2.2

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S.

Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
40

Table 6a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools with various types of nutrition education

coordination, by school characteristics: 1995

School characteristic One person for the

whole school

Several teachers,

a group or

committee

Someone outside

the school*

No coordination

effort

All public schools........................................ 1.4 1.8 1.0 2.2

Instructional level

Elementary school.......................................... 1.8 2.4 1.6 3.0

Middle school ................................................ 2.3 2.8 1.0 2.8

High school.................................................... 1.8 2.7 1.1 3.1

Size of enrollment

Small ............................................................. 2.9 3.6 3.0 4.8

Moderate ....................................................... 2.2 3.5 2.2 4.0

Large ............................................................. 1.4 2.1 1.2 2.3

Metropolitan status

City................................................................ 2.4 2.5 2.8 4.3

Urban fringe................................................... 2.5 3.4 2.3 3.7

Town ............................................................. 2.4 3.7 1.5 4.5

Rural.............................................................. 2.2 3.1 1.5 3.4

Geographic region

Northeast ....................................................... 3.3 3.4 2.6 5.1

Southeast ....................................................... 2.2 3.4 2.6 3.8

Central........................................................... 2.8 3.9 1.9 4.4

West .............................................................. 1.8 2.6 1.6 3.1

*For example, from the district.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S.

Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
41

Table 7a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools offering nutrition education within the

school curriculum, by person or group responsible for coordinating nutrition education:

1995

Placement of nutrition education One person for the

whole school

Several teachers,

a group or

committee

Someone outside

the school*

No coordination

effort

Integrated throughout curriculum....................... 6.7 3.3 6.8 2.2

Health curriculum ............................................. 4.9 2.3 5.9 2.2

Science curriculum............................................ 5.8 4.4 8.2 2.2

School health program....................................... 5.9 2.7 7.5 2.7

Home economics curriculum ............................. 5.7 3.8 4.3 2.0

*For example, from the district.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S.

Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
42

Table 8a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools that use various types of materials to

teach nutrition education, by instructional level: 1995

Type of material used All public

schools

Elementary

school

Middle

school High school

From external sources.................................................................................. .9 1.4 1.4 1.4

Developed by teachers in your school ........................................................... 1.3 1.8 2.2 1.6

Health or science textbooks.......................................................................... 1.2 1.8 1.6 1.5

Developed for a specific grade level ............................................................. 1.6 2.2 2.6 2.9

State-recommended...................................................................................... 2.3 3.6 2.9 2.4

State-mandated ............................................................................................ 2.4 3.8 2.8 3.0

Developed by district-level curriculum coordinator....................................... 2.0 3.1 3.0 2.8

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S.

Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
43

Table 9a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools that receive and use materials for

nutrition education from various sources: 1995

Source Materials

received

All or most

materials used*

All sources .................................................................................................. 0.7 -

Professional or trade association.......................................................................... 1.4 2.4

Food industry or commodities group.................................................................... 1.5 2.1

School library...................................................................................................... 1.7 2.5

Cooperative Extension Service ............................................................................ 1.9 2.2

USDA Food and Nutrition Information Center..................................................... 2.1 2.7

State education agency ........................................................................................ 2.5 3.1

State Nutrition Education Training (NET) Program ............................................. 2.6 3.4

American School Food Service Association ......................................................... 2.8 2.8

Colleges or universities....................................................................................... 1.9 3.0

National Food Service Management Institute....................................................... 2.7 4.0

*Of schools that received the materials.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S.

Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
44

Table 10a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools that receive and use materials for

nutrition education from the Cooperative Extension Service, by school characteristics:

1995

School characteristic Materials

received

All or most

materials used*

All public schools................................................................................... 1.9 2.2

Size of enrollment

Small ......................................................................................................... 4.4 5.4

Moderate.................................................................................................... 4.8 4.1

Large.......................................................................................................... 2.4 2.9

Metropolitan status

City............................................................................................................ 4.6 5.3

Urban fringe............................................................................................... 4.8 5.2

Town.......................................................................................................... 3.8 4.3

Rural.......................................................................................................... 3.5 3.9

*Of schools that received the materials.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S.

Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
45

 Table 11a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools where the school meals program

provides nutrition education or coordinates with classroom efforts, by instructional

level: 1995

Meals program effort All public

schools

Elementary

school

Middle

school

High

school

Any effort.............................................................................................. 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.3

Bulletin board with nutrition displays.......................................................... 1.9 2.7 2.8 3.5

School lunch week ...................................................................................... 2.1 3.0 2.5 3.2

Nutrient information ................................................................................... 1.9 2.9 3.2 2.9

Serves meals to correspond with classroom activities................................... 1.9 2.8 3.0 2.7

Tours.......................................................................................................... 2.3 3.2 3.1 2.9

Nutrition input to newsletter ....................................................................... 1.9 2.9 3.0 2.8

Education in classroom................................................................................ 2.0 3.0 2.5 2.2

Tasting parties ............................................................................................ 1.8 2.8 2.1 2.1

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S.

Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
46

Table 12a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools where the school meals program

provides nutrition education or coordinates with classroom efforts, by geographic

region: 1995

Meals program effort All public

schools Northeast Southeast Central West

Any effort......................................................................................... 1.1 2.0 1.4 2.5 2.2

Bulletin board with nutrition displays..................................................... 1.9 4.9 2.6 3.5 4.1

School lunch week ................................................................................. 2.1 4.3 3.5 3.6 3.9

Nutrient information .............................................................................. 1.9 5.9 3.9 4.2 3.7

Serves meals to correspond with classroom activities.............................. 1.9 4.5 3.9 3.5 3.6

Tours..................................................................................................... 2.3 4.1 4.2 3.1 4.0

Nutrition input to newsletter .................................................................. 1.9 4.7 4.3 3.5 3.1

Education in classroom........................................................................... 2.0 3.5 4.8 3.1 3.3

Tasting parties ....................................................................................... 1.8 3.9 3.9 2.7 2.9

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S.

Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
47

Table 13a.—Standard errors of the percent of public schools where the school meals program solicits

input through a student advisory group or pretesting new foods, by instructional level:

1995

Type of input All public

schools

Elementary

school

Middle

School

High

school

Student advisory group provides input to the meal service ............................ 2.4 3.4 3.2 2.8

School food service director has parents and students pretest new foods for

the cafeteria ............................................................................................... 1.5 2.2 2.7 2.4

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S.

Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
48

Table 14a.—Standard errors of percent of public schools that report various meals program efforts,

by whether the respondent is of the opinion that their school meals program follows

generally healthy eating practices: 1995

Meals program effort

Reported following

generally healthy

eating practices

Reported not

following generally

healthy eating

practices

Bulletin board with nutrition displays............................................................. 2.1 1.3

School lunch week ......................................................................................... 2.5 3.6

Nutrient information ...................................................................................... 2.2 3.8

Serves meals to correspond with classroom activities...................................... 2.1 3.6

Tours............................................................................................................. 2.2 3.1

Nutrition input to newsletter .......................................................................... 2.3 2.9

Education in classroom................................................................................... 2.0 4.8

Tasting parties ............................................................................................... 2.2 2.8

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S.

Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
49

Table 15a.—Estimates and standard errors for the figures: 1995

Figure Estimate Standard error

Figure 1: Percent of public schools where nutrition is taught and where nutrition

education is required, by grade: 1995

Percent taught

Kindergarten .............................................................................................................. 92 1.6

1st grade .................................................................................................................... 94 1.4

2nd grade ................................................................................................................... 96 1.3

3rd grade.................................................................................................................... 94 1.5

4th grade.................................................................................................................... 96 1.2

5th grade.................................................................................................................... 93 1.4

6th grade.................................................................................................................... 93 1.6

7th grade.................................................................................................................... 95 1.3

8th grade.................................................................................................................... 91 1.5

9th grade.................................................................................................................... 91 1.7

10th grade .................................................................................................................. 92 1.9

11th grade .................................................................................................................. 84 2.5

12th grade .................................................................................................................. 84 2.5

Percent required

Kindergarten .............................................................................................................. 58 3.3

1st grade .................................................................................................................... 61 2.8

2nd grade ................................................................................................................... 62 2.8

3rd grade.................................................................................................................... 60 2.7

4th grade.................................................................................................................... 62 2.9

5th grade.................................................................................................................... 60 2.8

6th grade.................................................................................................................... 58 2.8

7th grade.................................................................................................................... 58 3.1

8th grade.................................................................................................................... 50 3.4

9th grade.................................................................................................................... 40 2.9

10th grade .................................................................................................................. 40 3.1

11th grade .................................................................................................................. 23 2.2

12th grade .................................................................................................................. 20 2.3

Figure 2: Percent of public schools where nutrition is taught and where nutrition

is required in at least one grade, by instructional level: 1995

Percent taught

All public schools....................................................................................................... 99 0.5

Elementary school ...................................................................................................... 99 0.5

Middle school ............................................................................................................ 98 1.1

High school................................................................................................................ 97 1.3

Percent required

All public schools....................................................................................................... 64 1.7

Elementary school ...................................................................................................... 68 2.6

Middle school ............................................................................................................ 61 2.8

High school................................................................................................................ 54 3.0
50

Table 15a.—Estimates and standard errors for the figures: 1995 (continued)

Figure Estimate Standard error

Figure 3: Percent of coordinators with various highest levels of training in

nutrition or a nutrition-related area: 1995

Highest training

Graduate degree ......................................................................................................... 34 6.4

Bachelor’s degree....................................................................................................... 38 5.0

Associate’s degree...................................................................................................... 1 0.8

College coursework .................................................................................................... 5 2.8

Inservice training........................................................................................................ 20 6.9

None .......................................................................................................................... 2 1.8

Figure 4: Percent of public schools that report student and parent input into the

meals program, by geographic region: 1995

Input from student advisory group to the meal service

All public schools....................................................................................................... 34 2.4

Northeast ................................................................................................................... 34 5.3

Southeast ................................................................................................................... 46 4.8

Central....................................................................................................................... 29 4.3

West .......................................................................................................................... 31 3.4

Figure 5: Percent of respondents who are of the opnion that their school meals

program follows general healthy eating practices, by instructional level: 1995

Instructional level

All public schools....................................................................................................... 84 1.6

Elementary school ...................................................................................................... 88 2.1

Middle school ............................................................................................................ 76 2.5

High school................................................................................................................ 77 2.7

Parents and students pretest new foods for the cafeteria

All public schools....................................................................................................... 20 1.5

Northeast ................................................................................................................... 18 3.6

Southeast ................................................................................................................... 26 3.8

Central....................................................................................................................... 19 3.0

West .......................................................................................................................... 18 2.2

Figure 6. Percent of public schools that use special events for nutrition education:

1995

Guest speakers or health fairs......................................................................................... 74 2.1

Guest speakers............................................................................................................... 63 2.5

Health fairs.................................................................................................................... 25 2.0

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Nutrition Education in U.S.

Public Schools, K-12,” FRSS 52, 1995.
51

Appendix C

Survey Form
52

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OMB NO.: 1850-0715

NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS EXPIRATION DATE: 5/31/96

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20208-5651

NUTRITION EDUCATION IN

U.S. PUBLIC SCHOOLS, K-12

FAST RESPONSE SURVEY SYSTEM

This survey is authorized by law (20 U.S.C. 1221e-1). While you are not required to respond, your cooperation is

needed to make the results of this survey comprehensive, accurate, and timely.

DEFINITIONS FOR THIS SURVEY:

Nutrition education - refers to curricula, courses, lesson plans and units, and activities designed to provide instruction with

regard to the nutritional value of foods and the relationship between food and human health. Nutrition education can also be

provided through nonclassroom activities and events such as special assemblies and health fairs, etc.

School health program - a program that may include school health education and physical education; school-linked or

school-based health services designed to prevent, detect, and address health problems; psychological assessment and

counseling to promote child development and emotional health; healthful school food service selections; schoolsite health

promotion for faculty and staff; and integrated school and community health promotion efforts.

Nutrients - the nourishing components in food, such as vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, etc.

Nutrition-related area - academic subject areas related to nutrition (e.g., home economics, science, health, physical

education, dietetics).

Cooperative Extension Service - a public-funded, nonformal educational system that links the U.S. Department of

Agriculture, land-grant universities, and counties. Its purpose is to diffuse practical information on subjects relating to

agriculture, home economics, and rural energy.

Materials - lesson plans, curriculum guides, posters, pamphlets, and multimedia, etc., designed to improve health, achieve

positive change in dietary habits, and emphasize the relationship between diet and health.

NA - grade is not taught in this school.

AFFIX LABEL HERE

IF ABOVE INFORMATION IS INCORRECT, PLEASE MAKE CORRECTIONS DIRECTLY ON LABEL.

Name of person completing form: _______________________________ Title: _________________________

Telephone: _________________ Fax: ________________________ E:mail: _______________________

Best days and times to reach you (in case of questions): _____________________________________________

PLEASE RETURN COMPLETED FORM TO: IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CONTACT:

WESTAT Carin Celebuski

1650 Research Boulevard 800-937-8281, ext. 3986

Rockville, Maryland 20850 Fax: 301-294-3992

Attention: 900131-Celebuski E:mail: celebuc1@westat.com

The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions,

search existing data resources, gather and maintain the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any

comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of

Education, Washington, DC 20202-4651.

NCES Form No. 52
53

Please refer to the definitions on the cover page for words in bold type.

1. Does your school offer nutrition education for students in the following ways? (Circle "yes" or "no" for each line.)

Yes No

a. Integrated within the total school curriculum ................................. 1 2

b. Within a school health program ................................................. 1 2

c. Within the health curriculum ......................................................... 1 2

d. Within the science curriculum ....................................................... 1 2

e. Within the home economics curriculum ........................................ 1 2

f. Through the school meals program ............................................... 1 2

g. Through nonclassroom activities, assemblies, or events ............... 1 2

2. Are the following nutrition topics covered in any grade at your school? If yes, to what extent is the topic covered? (Circle "yes"

or "no" for each topic. If "yes" for topic, circle extent of coverage.)

Extent of coverage

Covered? Covered Covered

Knowledge Yes No Mentioned somewhat thoroughly

a. Dietary guidelines and goals ......................................................... 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

b. Food guide pyramid ...................................................................... 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

c. Nutrients and their food sources .................................................. 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

d. Relationship between diet and health ............................................ 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

e. Link between diet and diseases such as hypertension,

 heart disease, and cancer ........................................................... 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

f. Signs and symptoms of eating disorders and

 health risks of diets, pills, binging, and purging ........................... 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

g. Healthy weight control .................................................................. 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

Motivation and attitudes

h. Influences on food choices, such as habits, advertising,

 beliefs, and cultural preferences .................................................. 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

i. Association between eating and stress .......................................... 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

j. Body image .................................................................................. 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

k. Changing eating habits (e.g., willingness to try new foods) ............ 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

Behaviors

l. Finding and choosing healthy foods .............................................. 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

m. Developing a personal nutrition plan ............................................. 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

n. Keeping a food diary ..................................................................... 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

o. Reading food labels ...................................................................... 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

p. Interpreting nutritional information from food labels ....................... 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

q. Preparing healthy food .................................................................. 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

Other topics (specify)

r. _________________________________________________ 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

s. _________________________________________________ 1 ...........2 .. .....1 ..................2.................. 3

3. Using the letters corresponding to the topics in question 2 above, report the 3 topics that represent the general focus of

nutrition education at your school. Topics with main focus: i. ________ ii. ________ iii. ________

4. Indicate the grades in your school in which nutrition is taught and whether each grade has nutrition education requirements

(e.g., from your district or your state). (Circle "yes" or "no" for taught, or "NA" for grades not in your school. Then circle "yes"

or "no" for required.)

Is nutrition education required

Is nutrition taught in this grade in this grade by your

at your school? district or state?

Yes No Yes No

Kindergarten ............................ 1............... 2 ............. NA................... ...............1 .............. 2

1st grade ................................. 1............... 2 ............. NA................... ...............1 .............. 2

2nd grade ................................ 1............... 2 ............. NA................... ...............1 .............. 2

3rd grade ................................. 1............... 2 ............. NA................... ...............1 .............. 2

4th grade ................................. 1............... 2 ............. NA................... ...............1 .............. 2

5th grade ................................. 1............... 2 ............. NA................... ...............1 .............. 2

6th grade ................................. 1............... 2 ............. NA................... ...............1 .............. 2

7th grade ................................. 1............... 2 ............. NA................... ...............1 .............. 2

8th grade ................................. 1............... 2 ............. NA................... ...............1 .............. 2

9th grade ................................. 1............... 2 ............. NA................... ...............1 .............. 2

10th grade ............................... 1............... 2 ............. NA................... ...............1 .............. 2

11th grade ............................... 1............... 2 ............. NA................... ...............1 .............. 2

12th grade ............................... 1............... 2 ............. NA................... ...............1 .............. 2
54

5. Who has the primary responsibility for the coordination of nutrition education at your school? (Circle one.)

One person for the whole school................................ 1 (TITLE OF COORDINATOR _________________________)

Several teachers, a group or committee..................... 2 (Skip to question 7)

No one, each teacher on his/her own ......................... 3 (Skip to question 7)

Someone outside the school (e.g., from the district)... 4 (Skip to question 7)

6. Indicate the education and training in nutrition and nutrition-related areas that the nutrition education coordinator at your

school has completed. (Circle "yes" or "no" for each column of each line.)

NutritionNutrition related area

Yes No Yes No

a. Graduate degree ........................................................................... 1 ...........2 ... ... 1........... 2

b. Bachelor's degree (major or minor) ............................................... 1 ...........2 ... ... 1........... 2

c. Associate's degree (major or minor) .............................................. 1 ...........2 ... ... 1........... 2

d. College-level coursework .............................................................. 1 ...........2 ... ... 1........... 2

e. Inservice or other training ............................................................. 1 ...........2 ... ... 1........... 2

7. Does your school receive packaged materials, lesson plans, or other nutrition education resources from any of the following

sources? Are materials from these sources used in your school to teach nutrition education? (Circle "yes," "no," or "don't

know" for each source. If "yes" to source, circle "use all or most," "use some," or "use none.")

Source? If yes to source

Don't Use all Use Use

Yes No know or most some none

a. Cooperative Extension Service .................................................. 1 ...........2 .......... 9.... .... 1 ...........2........... 3

b. Colleges or universities.................................................................. 1 ...........2 .......... 9.... .... 1 ...........2........... 3

c. Professional or trade associations (e.g., the American

 Heart Association)....................................................................... 1 ...........2 .......... 9.... ...1 ...........2........... 3

d. Food industry or commodities group (e.g., the Dairy Council) ........ 1 ...........2 .......... 9.... ...1 ...........2........... 3

e. USDA Food and Nutrition Information Center................................. 1 ...........2 .......... 9.... ...1 ...........2........... 3

f. State Nutrition Education Training (NET) program ......................... 1 ...........2 .......... 9.... ...1 ...........2........... 3

g. State education agency ................................................................. 1 ...........2 .......... 9.... ...1 ...........2........... 3

h. National Food Service Management Institute ................................. 1 ...........2 .......... 9.... ...1 ...........2........... 3

i. American School Food Service Association ................................... 1 ...........2 .......... 9.... ...1 ...........2........... 3

j. School library ................................................................................ 1 ...........2 .......... 9.... ...1 ...........2........... 3

k. OTHER (specify) __________________________________ ......... 1 ............ ............ ..... ...1 ...........2........... 3

8. Are the following materials and resources used in your school to teach nutrition? (Circle "yes" or "no" for each line. For "g"

and "h" specify the number in the 1994-95 school year.)

Yes No

a. Materials developed by teachers in your school ........................... 1 2

b. Materials developed for a specific grade level .............................. 1 2

c. State-mandated materials ........................................................... 1 2

d. State-recommended materials ..................................................... 1 2

e. Materials developed by district-level curriculum coordinator ......... 1 2

f. Health or science textbooks .......................................................... 1 2

g. Guest speakers ............................................................................ 1 2 (NUMBER IN 1994-95 _____ )

h. Health fairs ................................................................................... 1 2 (NUMBER IN 1994-95 _____ )

i. OTHER (specify) _________________________________ ......... 1

9. Does your school meals program provide nutrition education or coordinate with classroom and administrative efforts in the

following ways? (Circle "yes" or "no" for each line.)

Yes No

a. Sponsors tasting parties ............................................................................................................... 1 2

b. Provides cafeteria/kitchen tours .................................................................................................... 1 2

c. Meal service follows generally healthy eating practices ................................................................. 1 2

d. Provides any type of nutrient information on cafeteria line ........................................................... 1 2

e. Serves meals to correspond with classroom activities (e.g., menus from countries studied in

 social studies, menus to support special weeks such as "citrus week") ........................................ 1 2

f. School food services staff provide education in the classroom ...................................................... 1 2

g. Student advisory group provides input to the meal service ............................................................ 1 2

h. Sponsors "school lunch week" where parents eat with students and participate in other

 activities ..................................................................................................................................... 1 2

i. School food service director has parents and students pretest new foods for the cafeteria ............. 1 2

j. School has a cafeteria bulletin board with nutrition displays .......................................................... 1 2

k. Provides nutrition input to parent/student newsletters .................................................................... 1 2

l. OTHER (specify) _________________________________ ......................................................... 1

Please provide comments or information on other nutrition education practices at your school on the reverse side.
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May we have your comments or information on other nutrition education practices at your school?

Tell us about the interesting things you are doing.

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The Food and Nutrition Information Center located at the National Agricultural Library

can help you locate nutrition education materials.

Contact the Center to receive a free copy of:

Nutrition Education Printed Materials and Audiovisuals, Grades Preschool - 6, or

Nutrition Education Printed Materials and Audiovisuals, Grades 7 - 12.

You can reach them by phone at: 301-504-5791,

by fax at: 301-504-6409,

by Internet e:mail at: fnic@nalusda.gov,

or by writing:

Food and Nutrition Information Center

National Agricultural Library/USDA

10301 Baltimore Boulevard

Room 304

Beltsville, MD 20705-2351

THANK YOU!
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Appendix D

U.S. Public Law 103-448. 103d Cong., 2 Nov. 1994. Child Nutrition Act of 1966

Section 19(a)

“Congress finds that -- (1) the proper nutrition of the Nation’s children is a matter of highest priority; (2)

the lack of understanding of the principles of good nutrition and their relationship to health can contribute

to a child’s rejection of highly nutritious foods and consequent plate waste in school food service

operations; (3) many school food service personnel have not had adequate training in food service

management skills and principles, and many teacher and school food service operators have not had

adequate training in the fundamentals of nutrition or how to convey this information so as to motivate

children to practice sound eating habits; (4) parents exert a significant influence on children in the

development of nutritional habits and lack of nutritional knowledge on the part of parents can have

detrimental effects on children’s nutritional development; and (5) there is a need to create opportunities for

children to learn about the importance of the principles of good nutrition in their daily lives and how these

principles are applied in the school cafeteria.”