Clinical trial NCT02091154: How Environmental Interventions Influence Behavior in School Lunchrooms
Official title: Evaluating the Impact on Lunch Sales and Consumption of New School Lunch Guidelines and Behavioral Interventions in NYC Schools
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Child Behavior
Adolescent Behavior
Health Behavior
Keywords: Food Intake Regulation
Fruit
Vegetable
Lead sponsor: Cornell University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
First posted: 2014-03-19
Enrollment: 43
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 5
Maximum age (years): 19
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: FACTORIAL
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: The investigators hypothesize that the new United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations for lunches served as part of the National School Lunch Program will decrease the percentage of enrolled students purchasing lunch, increase the percentage of children taking fruit and vegetables, decrease the percentage of fruit and vegetable servings being thrown away, and increase the total number of fruit and vegetable servings eaten.

The investigators also hypothesize that when the regulations are in force, simple behavioral interventions can counteract the potentially negative impact on lunch sales and consumption. In other words, implementing the regulations and behavioral interventions together, the percentage of enrolled students taking a school lunch will increase at least back to baseline levels, the percentage of children taking fruits and vegetables will increase, the percentage of fruit and vegetable servings wasted will decrease, and the total number of fruit and vegetable servings eaten will increase.

Detailed description: This study was conducted in 43 schools in the New York City (NYC) School district in the spring of 2012. The new regulations for school lunches were scheduled to roll out nationally in the fall of the same year, so this study was designed to provide an indication of the impact the new regulations would have.

In addition to the regulations, the investigators also tested additional behavioral interventions, in conjunction with the regulations, to determine how the behavioral interventions might offset, or magnify, the impacts of the regulations.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Public schools with any combination of grades K-12

Exclusion Criteria:

* No point of sale system in school
* Satellite school
* Feeder school

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in percent fruit or vegetable waste by student
timeFrame: Six months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in lunch sales
timeFrame: Six months
Other outcomes:
measure: Change in servings of fruits and vegetables taken
timeFrame: Six months
Locations:
city: New York
country: United States
facility: New York City School District
state: New York
Study officials:
affiliation: Cornell University
name: Adam Brumberg, BA
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: Cornell University
name: Kathryn Hoy, RD, MFN
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: Cornell University
name: David Just, PhD
role: STUDY_CHAIR
affiliation: Cornell University
name: Brian Wansink, PhD
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
affiliation: Cornell University
name: Andrew Hanks, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Hanks AS, Wansink B, Just DR. Reliability and accuracy of real-time visualization techniques for measuring school cafeteria tray waste: validating the quarter-waste method. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2014 Mar;114(3):470-474. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2013.08.013. Epub 2013 Oct 14.
citation: Hanks AS, Just DR, Wansink B. Smarter lunchrooms can address new school lunchroom guidelines and childhood obesity. J Pediatr. 2013 Apr;162(4):867-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.12.031. Epub 2013 Feb 22.
citation: Wansink B, Just DR, Hanks AS, Smith LE. Pre-sliced fruit in school cafeterias: children's selection and intake. Am J Prev Med. 2013 May;44(5):477-80. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2013.02.003.
citation: Hanks AS, Just DR, Smith LE, Wansink B. Healthy convenience: nudging students toward healthier choices in the lunchroom. J Public Health (Oxf). 2012 Aug;34(3):370-6. doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fds003. Epub 2012 Jan 31.