Enactment and enforcement of school nutrition policies represent key components in adolescent overweight and obesity prevention. This study determined: 1) California school board members' attitudes, perceptions, and motivations related to enactment of policies that support healthy eating in schools; and 2) barriers to adopting school policies that…

Highlights of a study of foods sold in the public schools of California are presented in this summary report. The research examined types of food available, nutritional quality of available foods, eating patterns and nutrient intake of students during school hours, and total nutrient intake of students during a 24-hour period. Additionally,…

Over the past year, dozens of articles have been published about excessive youth borrowing and spending (leading to high amounts of debt), new reactions to negative body image (such as plastic surgery), as well as more familiar risks like premarital sex and smoking. In Forum Focus: Revisiting Risk in the 21st Century, we explore these challenges…

The Nutrition and Gerontology Services Project attempted to affect basal nutrition knowledge and address dietary changes for 478 California senior citizens who were live-in residents in homes for the aged. Two instruments were employed to measure study variables. Knowledge of nutrition was measured by the Nutritional Learning Scale, an orally…

Provides an overview of the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) Eat Smart School Nutrition Program, an elementary school health promotion program. The article examines components of the CATCH kitchen visits and intervention materials, including the School Meal Program Guide, Fat and Sodium Criteria, Recipe File Box, Vendor…

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, a federally funded nutrition education program in California, is undertaking to assess the needs of Latino clients and develop culturally appropriate tools to evaluate changes in food-related behaviors. Latino participants in Fresno County reported improvements in reducing fat intake, using fruits…

Investigated ethnic and gender differences in frequency of use and healthfulness of bag lunches at school. Surveys of middle school students and their parents indicated that one-half of students brought bag lunches, with boys doing so more often than girls. There were ethnic differences in the use of seven foods and whether foods were regular or…

This curriculum guide, one of the "Nutrition Education-Choose Well, Be Well" curriculum series, is designed to help preschool and kindergarten teachers acquire the skills necessary for providing and implementing effective nutrition education. Chapter 1 of the document presents an introductory overview of the manual's objectives and…

Describes a statewide dissemination system adopted by the California Nutrition Education and Training Program to expand shrinking dollars for nutrition education. This system involves funding of local nutrition education projects which have been selected as "exemplary" and which then serve as models for new programs within the state. (CS)

In Orange County, California, 76 migrant preschool children and 45 parents participated in a 7-week pilot program concerned with preventing dental disease by encouraging good dental habits and healthy food choices. Parent questionnaires revealed that the most remarkable program-related change was a decrease in consumption of sugary foods for over…

Part of the "Nutrition Education-Choose Well, Be Well" curriculum series, this guide was developed to help teachers, food service personnel, professionals, and parents provide nutrition education and make nutrition come alive in the classroom, home, or cafeteria. Organized by grade level (from fourth through sixth), activities described…

Five nutrition education lessons developed specifically for Latino families were broadcast over Spanish-language radio in urban and semi-rural areas of southern California. Pre- and postbroadcast interviews with participants revealed that although knowledge and practice gains were significant in both locations, reported food-frequency patterns…

To be used in conjunction with the "Nutrition Education-Choose Well, Be Well" curriculum series, this curriculum guide is designed to help teachers in primary grades acquire the skills necessary to provide and implement effective nutrition education. The document is based on the goals set forth in the Health Instruction Framework for…

This study identifies factors that influences reduced-fat milk consumption among 560 male students, ages 13-18 years, attending North Los Angeles County public high schools. Participants completed a group-administered Theory of Planned Behavior-based questionnaire. The majority of the participants, 94.8%, reported that they currently drank some…

Designed to help school food service personnel, teachers, aides, and volunteers extend the benefits of the school meal program to handicapped children, this manual discusses eating problems resulting from such conditions as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, blindness, orthopedic handicaps, and other health impairments. Specific recommendations…