Children’s Variety in Fruit and Vegetable Intakes is Associated With Healthier Eating

Abstract

Objective: To determine the value-added, to parents, students, and school lunch rooms, of an online, interactive school lunch menu. Design, Setting and Participants: Through a website and email list parents across the country were invited to complete an online survey consisting of a random assignment to view either a hypothetical weekly (Monday through Friday) .pdf school lunchmenu or an online interactive school lunch menu developed by Nutrislice (both presented the same foods), a chance to select or decline purchasing lunch for their child(ren) on each day, questions pertaining to school lunch perceptions. Outcome Measures and Analysis: Primary outcome measures were whether or not a parent agreed to purchase lunch from the hypothetical menu for each week day. Secondaryoutcomemeasureswere7pointLikert scale responses to questions gauging views related to school lunch. Results: Parents who viewed the Nutrislice menu were willing to purchase lunch an average of 3 out of 5 week days compared to 2.5 for parents viewing the .pdf menu (p<0.05). These parents also perceived the lunches as more nutritious (4.4 vs. 4.9 on Likert scale; p<0.05) and thought school lunch information about was easier to find (4.6 vs. 5.2; p<0.05), specifically in regards to allergy and price information. Conclusions and Implications: In general, menu information was more convenient to access in the Nutrislice menu, generating a greater willingness to purchase school lunch and potentially influencing nutritional perceptions about school lunch. Menus of this nature have the potential to help parents and children better understand the nutritional value of school lunches and make healthful school lunch decisions. Funding: None.