Nutrition Bytes

The increasing prevalence of overweight and obese children in the United States draws concern for future risks of various chronic health conditions. Emerging research has focused on identifying causes for obesity among schoolchildren and developing effective interventions for obesity prevention. A primary focus is the availability and accessibility of non-nutritive foods provided in schools that compete with foods offered by the school lunch programs. These “competitive foods” elude the degree of nutritional regulation placed on items offered through the school lunch program. Consequently, competitive foods are generally higher in sugar and fat, and account for a significant amount of total calorie consumption in school cafeterias. Although early measures have attempted to reduce sales of competitive foods in schools, competitive food sales persist due to various factors such as shortened school lunch periods, profitable contracts between schools and outside vendors, and students’ perceptions towards the foods available in the school cafeteria. By identifying these factors, newer interventions can focus on targeting these issues. Discussed are some current interventions that have found some success in reducing consumption of non-nutritive competitive foods, and suggestions on how to develop newer interventions to create lasting effect in reducing risks for childhood obesity.