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School Nutrition Policy Initiative

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

The School Nutrition Policy Initiative (SNPI) is a multicomponent program to prevent overweight and obesity among children in 4th through 6th grades over a 2-year period. The program is implemented in schools where more than half of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, in order to combat disproportionately high rates of obesity among low-income children. The initiative trains teachers and other staff to integrate interactive nutrition education into regular subjects in the curriculum, and all food sold at school meets healthy food requirements. Students are offered incentives for eating healthy snacks, and SNPI involves families and local community groups in nutrition education activities. The program is funded through the Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Tracks program, a part of the USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Education Program. SNPI policies are developed by The Food Trust, a nutrition advocacy organization.

Goal / Mission

The goal of the School Nutrition Policy Initiative is to prevent and reduce overweight and obesity among low-income children.

Results / Accomplishments

The School Nutrition Policy Initiative resulted in a 50% reduction in the incidence of overweight. Significantly fewer children in the intervention schools (7.5%) than the control schools (14.9%) became overweight after 2 years. The intervention also had positive effects on the overall prevalence of overweight, with a 10.3% decrease at intervention schools compared to a 25.9% increase in control schools. Teachers received an average of 10.4 hours of training, and provided an average of 48 hours of nutrition education during each school year.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
The Food Trust
Primary Contact
Dr. Sandy Sherman
The Food Trust
One Penn Center, Suite 900
1617 John F. Kennedy Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 575-0444
contact@thefoodtrust.org
http://www.thefoodtrust.org
Topics
Health / Physical Activity
Health / Children's Health
Education / School Environment
Organization(s)
The Food Trust
Date of publication
Apr 2008
Date of implementation
2003
Geographic Type
Urban
Location
Philadelphia, PA
For more details
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC25274...
Target Audience
Children

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Related Content for: School Nutrition Policy Initiative

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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