TY - JOUR
T1 - The addition of spices and herbs to vegetables in the National School Lunch Program increased vegetable intake at an urban, economically-underserved, and predominantly African-American high school
AU - D'Adamo, Christopher R.
AU - Parker, Elizabeth A.
AU - McArdle, Patrick F.
AU - Trilling, Ariel
AU - Bowden, Brandin
AU - Bahr-Robertson, Mary K.
AU - Keller, Kathleen L.
AU - Berman, Brian M.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the McCormick Science Institute and the National Institutes of Health [grant number T35 DK095737 ].
Funding Information:
The authors express their sincere gratitude to the students, parents and guardians, school administration, teachers, and cafeteria stuff at the high school in Baltimore in which the intervention was conducted for their enthusiastic partnership in this research. We would also like to thank the McCormick Science Institute for offering the services of their research chefs and sensory scientists in helping develop and prepare the vegetable recipes that were sensory tested by the students. Lastly, the authors thank Ruth Abate, Donna Aubinoe, Christina Brockett, Alica Diehl, Deborah Taber, Katie Irwin, the research staff at the University of Maryland School of Medicine students and administrative leadership at Maryland University of Intergrative Health, and the community programs staff at the Institute for Integrative Health for their passionate efforts partnering with school staff and students in ensuring successful implementation of all phases of this study. This work was supported by the McCormick Science Institute and the National Institutes of Health [grant number T35 DK095737].
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2021/3
Y1 - 2021/3
N2 - Vegetable intake is far below recommendations among African-American adolescents living in economically-underserved urban areas. While the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) helps overcome access barriers, vegetable intake remains challenging and novel interventions are required. A two-year, multi-phase, school-based intervention was conducted at an urban, economically-underserved, and predominantly African-American high school in Baltimore, Maryland to determine whether stakeholder-informed addition of spices and herbs to NSLP vegetables would increase intake. The stakeholder engagement phase included assessment of NSLP vegetable attitudes/preferences among 43 school stakeholders and subsequent student sensory testing. The second phase was conducted in the school cafeteria and consisted of eight weeks comparing student intake of typical vegetable recipes versus otherwise-identical recipes with spices and herbs. 4570 student lunch plates were included in the vegetable intake comparison. Vegetable intake was measured by lunch tray plate waste. Willingness to try vegetables was assessed by the difference between plate waste and estimated mean vegetable served weight. Intake of typical vegetable recipes and vegetable recipes with spices and herbs was compared with student's t-test. Chi-square test was used to compare willingness to try vegetables. Total vegetable intake was 18.2% higher (8.22 g per meal, p < 0.0001) with spices and herbs than with typical recipes. There were no differences in trying vegetables with spices and herbs, although student-led advocacy was associated with increased trying vegetables with spices and herbs (78.8% with advocacy, 67.5% without advocacy, p < 0.0001). The addition of spices and herbs to vegetables in the NSLP was feasible and associated with small increases in vegetable intake at an urban, economically-underserved, and predominantly African-American high school.
AB - Vegetable intake is far below recommendations among African-American adolescents living in economically-underserved urban areas. While the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) helps overcome access barriers, vegetable intake remains challenging and novel interventions are required. A two-year, multi-phase, school-based intervention was conducted at an urban, economically-underserved, and predominantly African-American high school in Baltimore, Maryland to determine whether stakeholder-informed addition of spices and herbs to NSLP vegetables would increase intake. The stakeholder engagement phase included assessment of NSLP vegetable attitudes/preferences among 43 school stakeholders and subsequent student sensory testing. The second phase was conducted in the school cafeteria and consisted of eight weeks comparing student intake of typical vegetable recipes versus otherwise-identical recipes with spices and herbs. 4570 student lunch plates were included in the vegetable intake comparison. Vegetable intake was measured by lunch tray plate waste. Willingness to try vegetables was assessed by the difference between plate waste and estimated mean vegetable served weight. Intake of typical vegetable recipes and vegetable recipes with spices and herbs was compared with student's t-test. Chi-square test was used to compare willingness to try vegetables. Total vegetable intake was 18.2% higher (8.22 g per meal, p < 0.0001) with spices and herbs than with typical recipes. There were no differences in trying vegetables with spices and herbs, although student-led advocacy was associated with increased trying vegetables with spices and herbs (78.8% with advocacy, 67.5% without advocacy, p < 0.0001). The addition of spices and herbs to vegetables in the NSLP was feasible and associated with small increases in vegetable intake at an urban, economically-underserved, and predominantly African-American high school.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.foodqual.2020.104076
DO - 10.1016/j.foodqual.2020.104076
M3 - Article
C2 - 32999533
AN - SCOPUS:85090559990
SN - 0950-3293
VL - 88
JO - Food Quality and Preference
JF - Food Quality and Preference
M1 - 104076
ER -
