Using Skin Carotenoids to Assess Dietary Changes in Students After 1 Academic Year of Participating in the Shaping Healthy Choices Program.
To determine whether fourth-grade students participating in the Shaping Healthy Choices Program (SHCP), a school-based nutrition intervention, would change vegetable and carotenoid intake measured by skin carotenoids and dietary intake.



Single-group pretest-posttest with a self-selected, convenience sample of students (n = 30) participating in the SHCP, which lasted 1 academic year (9 months). Dietary intake of vegetables and carotenoids as measured by Block food frequency questionnaire and skin carotenoids as measured by Raman spectroscopy were collected at the school preintervention and postintervention.



Reported carotenoid intake decreased by 1.5 mg (P = .05) and skin carotenoids decreased by 2,247.9 RRS intensity units (P = .04). Change in reported intake correlated with change in skin carotenoids (r = .43; P = .02).



The reported decrease in vegetable and carotenoid intake was unanticipated; nevertheless, the RRS measurements confirmed this. RRS data can help evaluate changes in fruit and vegetable intake.
Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA; Center for Nutrition in Schools, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA.
Lori M
LM
Beccarelli
Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA; Center for Nutrition in Schools, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA. Electronic address: rescherr@ucdavis.edu.
Rachel E
RE
Scherr
Department of Pediatrics, University of California Davis Health System, Sacramento, CA; Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, University of California Davis Health System, Sacramento, CA.
Madan
M
Dharmar
Image Technologies Corporation, Salt Lake City, UT.
Igor V
IV
Ermakov
Image Technologies Corporation, Salt Lake City, UT.
Werner
W
Gellermann
US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, Grand Forks, ND.
Lisa
L
Jahns
Family and Community Health, Extension Service-Tillamook and Lincoln Counties, Oregon State University, Tillamook, OR.
Jessica D
JD
Linnell
Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA; University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Davis, CA; Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA.
Carl L
CL
Keen
Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA; University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Davis, CA.
Francene M
FM
Steinberg
Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, University of California Davis Health System, Sacramento, CA.
Heather M
HM
Young
Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA; Center for Nutrition in Schools, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA; University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Davis, CA.
Sheri
S
Zidenberg-Cherr
D002140:California; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012867:Skin / Q000737:chemistry*; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014675:Vegetables
D002338:Carotenoids
dietary assessment; garden; nutrition education; school nutrition; skin carotenoids; vegetable