Texas policy shown to improve school children's diet
By Dipali Pathak
A state plan designed to improve the school-day diet of Texas youngsters has been a success since it went into effect in 2004-2005, according to a policy analysis directed by experts at the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital.
"The results show that this is a good policy," said Dr. Jason Mendoza, assistant professor of pediatrics – nutrition at BCM. "It also shows the need to incorporate this policy in all school food environments, including snack bars and vending machines, where many high energy density foods are present."
The analysis report of the Texas Public School Nutrition Policy appears in the current issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Obesity link
"Energy density is a measure of energy (kilocalories) per gram (of food). The higher the energy density, the more energy is in the food," said Mendoza. "Foods with higher energy density have more calories and more fat, whereas foods with less energy density have more water and less fat."
Snack foods such as potato chips and cupcakes are examples of high energy density foods, and in general, fruits and vegetables are examples of low energy density foods. People who eat these high energy density foods are at a greater risk of becoming obese.
The Texas Public School Nutrition Policy restricts the portion sizes of snacks and high-fat foods offered in all school environments. Similarly, it also limited sales of sweetened beverages and the fat content of all foods (for more information see www.squaremeals.org).
Middle school results
The experts evaluated three Southeast Texas middle schools to determine the effects of the state nutrition policy. The researchers asked students to fill out anonymous food records immediately after lunch during the 2005-2006 school year. They compared those records to similar ones produced at the same schools in the 2001-2002 school year, before the policy was implemented.
The study found that whether or not beverages were included, middle school students showed decreases in their lunchtime energy density after the implementation of the program, said Mendoza, lead author of the study.
Specifically, they found that the food energy density decreased from an average of 2.8 kilocalories/gram in 2001-2002 to 2.17 in 2005-2006. Even when beverages were added into the count, the difference was significant, from 1.38 in 2001-2002 to 1.29 in 2005-2006.
Funding for the study came from the US Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, the USDA/Agricultural Research Service and the National Cancer Institute.
Others who took part in the study include Drs. Karen Cullen and Kathy Watson of BCM and Texas Children's Hospital.
