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Intervention leads to improvements in the nutrient profile of snacks served in afterschool programs: a group randomized controlled trial

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Translational Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Widely adopted nutrition policies for afterschool programs (ASPs) focus on serving a fruit/vegetable daily and eliminating sugar-sweetened foods/beverages. The impact of these policies on the nutrient profile of snacks served is unclear. Evaluate changes in macro/micronutrient content of snacks served in ASPs. A 1-year group randomized controlled trial was conducted in 20 ASPs serving over 1700 elementary-age children. Intervention ASPs received a multistep adaptive framework intervention. Direct observation of snack served was collected and nutrient information determined using the USDA Nutrient Database, standardized to nutrients/100 kcal. By post-assessment, intervention ASPs reduced total kcal/snack served by 66 kcal (95CI −114 to −19 kcal) compared to control ASPs. Total fiber (+1.7 g/100 kcal), protein (+1.4 g/100 kcal), polyunsaturated fat (+1.2 g/100 kcal), phosphorous (+49.0 mg/100 kcal), potassium (+201.8 mg/100 kcal), and vitamin K (+21.5 μg/100 kcal) increased in intervention ASPs, while added sugars decreased (−5.0 g/100 kcal). Nutrition policies can lead to modest daily caloric reductions and improve select macro/micronutrients in snacks served. Long-term, these nutritional changes may contribute to healthy dietary habits.

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Acknowledgments

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01HL112787. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Adherence to ethical principles

All procedures were reviewed, approved, and conducted in accordance with the University of South Carolina’s Institutional Review Board ethical guidelines.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly St., RM 131, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Michael W. Beets MEd, MPH, PhD, Brie Turner-McGrievy PhD, MS, RD, R. Glenn Weaver PhD & Justin B. Moore PhD

  2. Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Jennifer Huberty PhD

  3. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Dianne S. Ward EdD

  4. Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Darcy A. Freedman MPH, PhD

Authors
  1. Michael W. Beets MEd, MPH, PhD
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  2. Brie Turner-McGrievy PhD, MS, RD
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  3. R. Glenn Weaver PhD
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  4. Jennifer Huberty PhD
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  5. Justin B. Moore PhD
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  6. Dianne S. Ward EdD
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  7. Darcy A. Freedman MPH, PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael W. Beets MEd, MPH, PhD.

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Implications

Research: Snacks served in ASPs can have an important public health impact on the macro and micronutrient intake of the millions of children enrolled nationwide.

Practice: Afterschool program providers require support to assist them with meeting snack nutrition policies.

Policy: Continued efforts should be made to consolidate nutrition guidelines for ASPs that focus on guiding snack purchases that have the most potential public health impact.

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Beets, M.W., Turner-McGrievy, B., Weaver, R.G. et al. Intervention leads to improvements in the nutrient profile of snacks served in afterschool programs: a group randomized controlled trial. Behav. Med. Pract. Policy Res. 6, 329–338 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13142-015-0342-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13142-015-0342-z

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