Purpose/Objectives: School nutrition (SN) assistants/technicians are vital to the operation of successful school nutrition programs. The objective of this study was to update the 2006 Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills (CKS) needed by effective SN assistants/technicians. Changes in SN programs since 2006, including the implementation of…

Background: Nutrition plays a vital role in children's physical and emotional health. More than half of school age children's calories are provided in the school food environment, making school interventions an opportunity to address child nutrition. Methods: The Creating Health Environments for Schools (CHEFS) program is designed to leverage…

Aim: This study aims to evaluate the impact of a novel multicomponent nutrition education program (United for Healthier Kids; U4HK) on the diet consumed during school lunch among preschool children. Methods: The program comprised four tools: hero plates, hero content, hero menus, and hero books and stickers. The program was implemented for 16…

Background: Nutritional interventions can help to develop healthy eating patterns during the transition to university, which is a critical transition for all college students. Purpose: This research aims to analyze eating behaviors and food choices through sustainable nutritional education interventions with college students from a multinational…

Objective To assess female collegiate cross-country runners' perspectives regarding sport-related health and the factors impacting eating behaviors. Participants/methods The Runner's Health Choices Questionnaire, a previously validated survey, was electronically distributed to female collegiate cross-country runners. Quantitative descriptive…

Due to the growing trend of healthy eating, concerns of disordered eating patterns have increased. In particular, orthorexia has gained interest due to taking the healthy eating trend too far. As college student populations tend to have a high prevalence of disordered eating, it becomes logical to examine factors contributing to development and…

Background: Federal nutrition education initiatives ("MyPlate") intend to facilitate healthful eating behaviors in families; however, little is known about how minoritized students and caregivers perceive adherence to MyPlate guidelines or perceptions of importance of eating in alignment with guidelines. Purpose: Study aims included: 1)…

This study examines the influence of teaching digital resources of MyPlate on the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to healthy eating habits among first and second-grade students. A pre-and post-assessment of this quasi-experimental research study measured the baseline KAP levels of 45 participants regarding healthy…

This qualitative, exploratory, comparative case study examined plant-based innovations in Title I PK12 public-school nutrition programs (PSNPs) in the context of the School Health Index (SHI) and Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) objectives. The study explored the perceptions of PK12 superintendents, school board members, nutrition…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Good Food for Oxford Schools (GFOS) program by assessing perceptions of Child Nutrition Program (CNP) staff. This evaluation was completed to provide insights to support continued quality improvement of the program, and to explore the potential impact of the program on the students and teachers in the…

Objective: The study examined which snack factors and nutritional ingredients influence college students' snack choices using a discrete choice experiment (DCE). Participants: In November 2016, a total of 1,624 undergraduate students participated in the study. Methods: Two DCEs were constructed using a unique approach of block fractional factorial…

Fruit and vegetable intake for children in the United States is low, which puts them at risk for poor health in the future. The National School Lunch Program meal pattern and nutrition standards for participating schools include increased fruits and vegetables, compared to previous standards. Using a pretest-posttest design, this study examined…

This action research study examined the feasibility of an iron-rich school nutrition program on student Lexile scores while controlling for gender, race, and socioeconomic status. The study employed a quasi-experimental research design in which independent intact groups served as either comparison group (students not exposed to the implementation…

This article describes an example of a decision-making in nutrition unit that was transformed when students were provided an opportunity to drive the curriculum and extend their learning beyond the classroom.

Background: The study objective was to determine impact of a Farm-to-School intervention on low-income, diverse elementary school students' nutrition-related attitudes, self-efficacy, behaviors, and locally grown vegetable choices. Methods: Six elementary schools within 1 US school district were equally assigned to 1 of 3 conditions--Local…