Changes in the nutritional content of children's lunches after the Food Dudes healthy eating programme
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Previous research into the effectiveness of healthy eating programmes has shown increases in healthful eating behaviour in primary schools; however, data collection methods have not been sufficiently sensitive to detect micronutrient changes. The present study extends the literature by measuring individual children's intake of macro- and micronutrients at lunchtime, before and after a programme targeting children's consumption of fruit and vegetables, to identify evidence-based health benefits of programme participation. Baseline data were collected over 4 d at lunchtime in two primary schools. The Food Dudes programme was then implemented in the intervention school. Follow-up data were collected over 4 d in each school 2 months after baseline. We employed a validated and sensitive photographic method to estimate individual children's (N 112) consumption of fruit, vegetables, and their intake of calories, macro- and selected micronutrients. Significant changes were observed in the intervention school but not in the control school: Children's consumption of fruit, vegetables, vitamin C and E intake increased, while their total energy consumption, fat, saturated fat, and sodium intake decreased. The present results show that the Food Dudes programme produced a positive nutritional change, with implications for its application as a healthy eating and obesity prevention intervention. These optimistic conclusions should be tested by further research to establish the longevity of the positive effects presented here.
Keywords
- Children, Consumption, Food Dudes, Fruit and vegetables, Healthy eating, Macronutrients, Micronutrients, School lunch
Original language | English |
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Article number | e40 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Nutritional Science |
Volume | 10 |
Early online date | 31 May 2021 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 10 Aug 2021 |
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