A Content Analysis of Kindergarten-12th Grade School-based Nutrition Interventions: Taking Advantage of Past Learning

Abstract Objective To review the literature, identifying proposed recommendations for school-based nutrition interventions, and evaluate kindergarten through 12th grade school-based nutrition interventions conducted from 2000-2008. Design Proposed recommendations from school-based intervention reviews were developed and used in conducting a content analysis of 26 interventions. Participants Twenty-six school-based nutrition interventions in the United States first published in peer-reviewed journals from 2000-2008. Variable Measured Ten proposed recommendations based on prior analyses of school-based nutrition interventions: (1) behaviorally focused, (2) multicomponents, (3) healthful food/school environment, (4) family involvement, (5) self-assessments, (6) quantitative evaluation, (7) community involvement, (8) ethnic/heterogeneous groups, (9) multimedia technology, and (10) sequential and sufficient duration. Analysis Descriptive statistics. Results The most frequent recommendations used were: (1) behaviorally focused components (100%) and (2) quantitative evaluation of food behaviors (96%). Only 15% of the interventions included community involvement or ethnic/heterogeneous groups, whereas 31% included anthropometric measures. Five of the 10 proposed recommendations were included in over 50% of the interventions. Conclusions and Implications Rising trend of overweight children warrants the need to synthesize findings from previous studies to inform research and program development and assist in identification of high-impact strategies and tactics.