Fruits, vegetables, milk, and sweetened beverages consumption and access to à la carte/snack bar meals at school.
OBJECTIVE
We assessed the impact of access to school snack bars on middle school students' fruit, vegetable, milk, and sweetened beverage consumption.


METHODS
Five hundred ninety-four fourth- and fifth-grade students completed lunch food records 4 times during a 2-year period.


RESULTS
The fourth-grade cohort consumed fewer fruits, regular (not fried) vegetables, and less milk and consumed more sweetened beverages and high-fat vegetables during year 2.


CONCLUSIONS
Middle school students who gained access to school snack bars consumed fewer healthy foods compared with the previous school year, when they were in elementary schools and only had access to lunch meals served at school. Healthy food choices and school policies that require healthier foods at school snack bars should be promoted.
Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. kcullen@bcm.tmc.edu
Karen Weber
KW
Cullen
Issa
I
Zakeri
D000818:Animals; D002253:Carbonated Beverages; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D005518:Food Preferences; D005522:Food Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008892:Milk; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D013781:Texas; D014675:Vegetables