Rock on Cafe: achieving sustainable systems changes in school lunch programs.
The rising rate of overweight poses a significant threat to the health of children. Because roughly one third of a child's dietary intake occurs during school hours and because both health and academic outcomes have been linked to children's nutrition, school nutrition policies and programs have been identified as a key area for intervention. This article describes the components, processes, and initial successes of a grassroots effort and innovative project to improve the nutritional quality of the School Lunch Program through a sustainable systems intervention and policy change across a regional area of upstate New York. The Rock on Cafe intervention was partially funded by the Steps to a Healthier New York program and promises to be a model for creating a school environment that supports healthy dietary behaviors among children.
Johnston
Yvonne
Y
Decker School of Nursing, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902-6000, USA. johnston@binghamton.edu
Denniston
Ray
R
Morgan
Molly
M
Bordeau
Mark
M
D002648:Child; D005522:Food Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009518:New York; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods; D012574:Schools; D040241:Social Marketing; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology