Will Students Eat More Fruits and Vegetables if School Policies Include Longer Lunch Periods or Letting Children Play First?

Abstract

ObjectiveSchool policies that increase fruit and vegetable intake in children are needed. The study aim was to evaluate the relationship of duration of lunch and order of play and eating during the lunch period with fruit and vegetables (FV) intake. A secondary aim was to examine if differences existed in these relationships by student gender, ethnicity, language spoken at home, and school lunch source.Study Design, Setting, Participants, and InterventionA diary-assisted 24-hour recall was collected during the 2011-12 school year from 3,463 4th-5th graders attending 44 elementary schools in California.Outcome, Measures and AnalysisSchool lunch characteristics including order of eating and playing time, total length of the lunch period, duration of the lunch line, and start and end times of lunch were attained from school staff and observation. The associations of play before eating and duration of lunch with FV intake were estimated using GEE.ResultsFV intake did not significantly differ by lunch period length. Overall, lunch FV intake was not significantly higher for students who had a play before versus after eating lunch schedule. Variables in the model showed significant interaction with play before eating, requiring separate effect estimates by gender, ethnicity, language spoken at home, and lunch source. When a significant effect was predicted, play before eating had a positive impact among students who brought lunch from home.Conclusions and ImplicationsPlaying before eating may help some elementary students to increase FV intake although this and other environmental policies to improve school lunch need further rigorous evaluation to understand their full impact.FundingSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - EducationAdditional FundingThe Orfalea Foundation ObjectiveSchool policies that increase fruit and vegetable intake in children are needed. The study aim was to evaluate the relationship of duration of lunch and order of play and eating during the lunch period with fruit and vegetables (FV) intake. A secondary aim was to examine if differences existed in these relationships by student gender, ethnicity, language spoken at home, and school lunch source. School policies that increase fruit and vegetable intake in children are needed. The study aim was to evaluate the relationship of duration of lunch and order of play and eating during the lunch period with fruit and vegetables (FV) intake. A secondary aim was to examine if differences existed in these relationships by student gender, ethnicity, language spoken at home, and school lunch source. Study Design, Setting, Participants, and InterventionA diary-assisted 24-hour recall was collected during the 2011-12 school year from 3,463 4th-5th graders attending 44 elementary schools in California. A diary-assisted 24-hour recall was collected during the 2011-12 school year from 3,463 4th-5th graders attending 44 elementary schools in California. Outcome, Measures and AnalysisSchool lunch characteristics including order of eating and playing time, total length of the lunch period, duration of the lunch line, and start and end times of lunch were attained from school staff and observation. The associations of play before eating and duration of lunch with FV intake were estimated using GEE. School lunch characteristics including order of eating and playing time, total length of the lunch period, duration of the lunch line, and start and end times of lunch were attained from school staff and observation. The associations of play before eating and duration of lunch with FV intake were estimated using GEE. ResultsFV intake did not significantly differ by lunch period length. Overall, lunch FV intake was not significantly higher for students who had a play before versus after eating lunch schedule. Variables in the model showed significant interaction with play before eating, requiring separate effect estimates by gender, ethnicity, language spoken at home, and lunch source. When a significant effect was predicted, play before eating had a positive impact among students who brought lunch from home. FV intake did not significantly differ by lunch period length. Overall, lunch FV intake was not significantly higher for students who had a play before versus after eating lunch schedule. Variables in the model showed significant interaction with play before eating, requiring separate effect estimates by gender, ethnicity, language spoken at home, and lunch source. When a significant effect was predicted, play before eating had a positive impact among students who brought lunch from home. Conclusions and ImplicationsPlaying before eating may help some elementary students to increase FV intake although this and other environmental policies to improve school lunch need further rigorous evaluation to understand their full impact. Playing before eating may help some elementary students to increase FV intake although this and other environmental policies to improve school lunch need further rigorous evaluation to understand their full impact.