title: Community partnership to address snack quality and cost in after-school programs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Policies call on after-school programs (ASPs) to serve more nutritious snacks. A major barrier for improving snack quality is cost. This study describes the impact on snack quality and expenditures from a community partnership between ASPs and local grocery stores.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four large-scale ASPs (serving ˜500 children, aged 6-12 years, each day) and a single local grocery store chain participated in this study. The nutritional quality of snacks served was recorded preintervention (18 weeks spring/fall 2011) and postintervention (7 weeks spring 2012) via direct observation, along with cost/child/snack/day.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Preintervention snacks were low-nutrient-density salty snacks (eg, chips, 3.0 servings/week), sugar-sweetened beverages (eg, powdered-lemonade, 1.9 servings/week), and desserts (eg, cookies, 2.1 servings/week), with only 0.4 servings/week of fruits and no vegetables. By postintervention, fruits (3.5 servings/week) and vegetables (1.2 servings/week) were increased, whereas sugar-sweetened beverages and desserts were eliminated. Snack expenditures were $0.26 versus $0.24 from preintervention to postintervention. Partnership savings versus purchasing snacks at full retail cost was 24.5% or $0.25/serving versus $0.34/serving.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This innovative partnership can serve as a model in communities where ASPs seek to identify low-cost alternatives to providing nutritious snacks.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, (beets@mailbox.sc.edu), Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly St., 1st Fl. Suite, RM 131, Columbia, SC 29208.
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Beets
authors.forename: Falon
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tilley
authors.forename: Gabrielle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Turner-McGrievy
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Weaver
authors.forename: Sonya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D019058:Community Networks; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005502:Food / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D019649:Food Industry; D005522:Food Services; D006291:Health Policy; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D009753:Nutritive Value; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012574:Schools; D062410:Snacks; D014481:United States
keywords: children; community-based programs; cost-effectiveness; nutrition; school