title: Assessing the Availability of Healthier Children's Meals at Leading Quick-Service and Full-Service Restaurants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the calorie, fat, saturated fat, and sodium content of available children's meal combinations in leading restaurants with national recommendations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children's menu offerings and corresponding nutrition information were collected (May, 2014) from Web sites of the top 10 quick-service (QSR) and top 10 full-service (FSR) restaurant chains that offered a children's menu and provided nutrition information.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total calories (kcal), percent calories from fat and saturated fat, and total sodium (mg) were calculated for children's meal combinations (QSR N = 1,363; FSR N = 6,654). Combinations with ≤ 600 kcal, ≤ 35% kcal from fat, ≤ 10% kcal from saturated fat, ≤ 770 mg sodium, and those that met all 4 of these criteria were identified.
  
  
  METHODS
  Frequencies by restaurant segment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of QSR (72%) and FSR (63%) meal combinations had ≤ 600 kcal. Only 31.9% of combinations at QSRs and 21.7% at FSRs met all 4 criteria. In both segments the calorie target was most frequently met, and the sodium target the least.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children's meal combinations with ≤ 600 kcal are available at leading restaurant chains, but many meals fail to meet current national recommendations for fat, saturated fat, and sodium. Menu labeling legislation may address caloric content but implications for other nutrients remain unclear.
authors.affiliation: Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA. Electronic address: ssliwa@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sliwa
authors.affiliation: Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Anzman-Frasca
authors.affiliation: ChildObesity180, Tufts University, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lynskey
authors.affiliation: Healthy Athletes, Special Olympics, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Washburn
authors.affiliation: Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA; ChildObesity180, Tufts University, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Economos
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D062407:Meals; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D009753:Nutritive Value; D012147:Restaurants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: children; diet quality; dietary guidelines; restaurants