P142 - Maximizing Efforts in Building Healthy School Cafeteria Through the Collaboration of Nebraska Community Nutrition Educators

Abstract

Objective: To increase students' consumption of healthy foods and new offerings through implementing Smarter Lunchroom techniques. Target Audience: Six (n = 6) elementary schools and fourteen (n = 14) junior and/or senior high schools that participate in National School Lunch Program. Of the 20 Nebraska schools, five schools were SNAP-Ed eligible, meaning >50% of their students qualified for free/reduced price school lunch. Theory, Prior Research, Rationale: The Smarter Lunchrooms Movement (SLM) uses easy no-cost and low-cost changes to encourage students to select, eat, and enjoy healthier foods in school without eliminating choice. These interventions promote sustainable changes like moving more nutritious food groups such as fruits and vegetables, naming and displaying vegetables with catchy titles, highlighting the entrée, and implementation of healthy choices lines. Description: Nebraska Extension, including the Nebraska Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) collaborated with Nebraska Team Nutrition (NE TN) to provide $1,000 NE TN mini-grants. Extension staff provided trainings and technical assistance to 20 schools to help them create appropriate organizational and environmental changes to improve the health and nutrition of students. Evaluation: Each school SLM team enrolled as a TN school, completed trainings, mini-grant application and final report including pre/post SLM scorecards and photos. Conclusions and Implications: The goal was to implement changes in school cafeterias to promote increased student choices of whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fruits, vegetables and legumes. Targeted improvement areas were tied to one or more of the six basic Smarter Lunchroom principles: managing portion sizes, increasing convenience of healthier foods, improving visibility of healthier foods, enhancing taste expectations, utilizing suggestive selling, and setting smart pricing strategies. Smarter lunchroom strategies were well received. In the final report, schools mentioned positive feedback, prioritizing the lunchroom, impact on future efforts/purchases, and pride as important differences. The most popular advice offered to other schools wanting to implement Smarter Lunchrooms strategies is to just try it, with most talking about the ease of using the Smarter Lunchrooms tools. Funding: Nebraska Department of Education-Team Nutrition, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.