Creating Healthy Environments for Schools: A Comprehensive Approach to Improving Nutrition in Arkansas Public Schools

Creating Healthy Environments for Schools: A Comprehensive Approach to Improving Nutrition in Arkansas Public Schools

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Nutrition plays a vital role in children's physical and emotional health. More than half of school age children's calories are provided in the school food environment, making school interventions an opportunity to address child nutrition. METHODS The Creating Health Env...

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Published in:The Journal of school health Vol. 94; no. 7; pp. 653 - 660
Main Authors: Langner, Jonathan, Langston, Krista, Mrachek, Ally, Faitak, Bonnie, Martin, Pamela, Cueto, Alexa, Clampitt, Jennifer L., Long, Christopher R., Bartow, Amy, Bodey, Susan, McElfish, Pearl A.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Malden, USA Wiley Periodicals, Inc 01-07-2024
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Subjects:
Budgets
Cafeteria
Children
Children & youth
comprehensive nutrition enrichment program
Cooperation
Food
Food service
Health status
Healthy food
Learner Engagement
Mental Health
Nutrition
nutrition education
Parent Participation
Parenthood education
Public schools
School based intervention
School districts
school food environment
School meals
stakeholder engagement
nutrition education
comprehensive nutrition enrichment program
school food environment
stakeholder engagement
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Summary:ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Nutrition plays a vital role in children's physical and emotional health. More than half of school age children's calories are provided in the school food environment, making school interventions an opportunity to address child nutrition. METHODS The Creating Health Environments for Schools (CHEFS) program is designed to leverage local resources to create customized solutions that improve the nutritional content of school food and encourage children to choose healthier food. There are 8 components: (1) customizing nutrition plans, (2) modifying/replacing menu items, (3) helping procure healthier food, (4) providing equipment grants, (5) training cafeteria staff, (6) implementing environmental changes and nudges, (7) engaging students and parents, and (8) supporting sustainability. Supporting child nutrition directors is key to facilitating cooperation with schools. IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY, PRACTICE, AND EQUITY Menu modifications and procurement are interrelated and depend on successfully collaborating with corporate, independent, and local food services organizations. Limited school budgets require low or no‐cost solutions and staff training. Student and parent engagement are critical to facilitate culturally‐appropriate solutions that increase awareness of healthy food. CONCLUSIONS Every school district has particular resources and constraints. CHEFs engaged stakeholders to design customized solutions and encourage healthier nutrition for school children.
Bibliography:This work was supported by a Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) award (5 NU58DP006595) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Translational Research Institute funding awarded through the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (UL1 TR003107). Implementation of CHEFs was funded in part by the Alice L. Walton Foundation. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funders.
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ISSN:0022-4391
1746-1561
1746-1561
DOI:10.1111/josh.13437