Pediatric Obesity
Conditions
Brief summary
Herbs and spices offer one potential solution to the recent decline in children taking school lunch because they can increase the palatability of foods without adding salt and fat. However, there is currently limited evidence on how to successfully integrate herbs and spices into the school lunch menu. Developing evidence-based methods to teach school cafeteria workers to prepare healthy and tasty vegetable dishes with the addition of herbs and spices is a research priority. The investigators hypothesize that herbs and spices can be used to increase acceptance, intake, and participation in the school lunch program among 6th - 12th grade students from Central Pennsylvania.
Detailed description
What this study will add to the literature: Herbs and spices offer one potential solution to the recent decline in children taking school lunch because they can increase the palatability of foods without adding salt and fat. However, there is currently limited evidence on how to successfully integrate herbs and spices into the school lunch menu. Developing evidence-based methods to teach school cafeteria workers to prepare healthy and tasty vegetable dishes with the addition of herbs and spices is a research priority. This research will provide evidence that herbs and spices can be used to increase acceptance, intake, and participation in the school lunch program among 6th - 12th grade students from Central Pennsylvania.
Interventions
OTHERSpice Intervention
Spice Intervention:Novel herb and spice blends will be used in cafeteria recipes.
Sponsors
McCormick Science Institute
Penn State University
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
11 Years to 19 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Student in Bald Eagle Area Middle/High School * Parents of students in Bald Eagle Area Middle/High School * School Food Service Employees at the Bald Eagle Area Middle/High School
Exclusion criteria
* Students/children who have food allergies to herb/spice blend ingredients.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Surveys defining barriers to vegetable consumption at Bald Eagle Area Middle/High School | Baseline | Conduct surveys of students, parents and food service experts to gather information describing ways to increase vegetable intake at Bald Eagle Area Middle/High School |
| Taste tests to quantify the change in liking of vegetable recipes | Baseline and after recipe development (approximately 10 months). Prior to intervention. | Student's liking of vegetables prepared with herbs/spices will be assessed during the taste tests by setting up sensory panels in their culinary and consumer education classes. Participating students will rate liking and will provide written feedback to inform recipe development. |
| Change in vegetable plate waste | Baseline, Intervention and Follow-up (1 and 6 months) | Weight of vegetable disappearance from the school cafeteria, minus waste weight, in kg. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| School lunch program participation | Baseline, Intervention and Followup (1 and 6 months) | Percentage of children who are participating in the school lunch program will be assessed the school years prior to and immediately after the intervention |
| Post-meal comment cards | Baseline, Intervention and Followup (1 and 6 months) | Student's will rate satisfaction with the school lunches by completing anonymous, post-meal comment cards during the baseline, intervention, and follow-up phases. |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Age Covariate | Baseline | We plan to assess age to see if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey. |
| Family Intake of Herbs/Spices at Home Covariate | Baseline | We plan to assess if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey. |
| Weight Status Covariate | Baseline | We plan to assess weight status to see if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey. |
| Parental Feeding Practices Covariate | Baseline | We plan to assess if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey. |
| Parental Education Covariate | Baseline | We plan to assess if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey. |
| Family Culture Covariate | Baseline | We plan to assess if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed