Use of nutrition labels reduced the average energy content of entrées purchased without reducing overall sales. These results provide support for strengthening the nutrition labeling policy in food-service operations.

Changes in eating habits and behaviors are needed to reverse the obesity trend in the United States. The Ohio State University recently mandated (through contract specification) implementation of a healthy vending snack program using Snackwise®.Snackwise® is a software program developed by Nationwide Children's Hospital that calculates nutrient density scores using 11 parameters from the nutrition facts label.Composite scores are used to group snack foods into easily understood categories:"green" items should be chosen most often, "yellow" chosen occasionally, and "red" chosen least often. As specified in the contract, the university requires that specific proportions of green, yellow and red items be provided in vending machines across campus; 28.5% green, 43% yellow, and 28.5% red. While the intent of this program is to favorably impact snack choices, no data exists that describes who uses vending machines, how frequently they do so, what they purchase and why. Consumers between the ages of 18-24 also made up a large portion of consumers at 77% of surveyed participants. For those patrons aged 18-24, the items purchased most often were red (58%) followed by yellow (30%) and green (9%). The two strongest factors driving their purchases were hunger (43%) and convenience (42%). Over half the surveyed population of consumers aged 18-24 make vending purchases at least 1 time per week (53%). The results of this study will be used to design interventions aimed at and promoting healthier snack food choices.ii Dedicated to my parents for their support and encouragement.iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Gail Kaye, for her unwavering support, encouragement, and knowledge; all of which made this thesis possible.

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BackgroundPrevious studies suggest adults gain extra weight during the holiday season, however, few studies have been done with children during this time. The purpose of this study was to evaluate gains in growth among elementary children, and compare differences by gender and weight status.MethodsChildren’s (n = 90) height and weight were measured before and after their holiday break. Height, weight and body mass index (BMI) and body mass index-percentiles (BMI-%) were evaluated and compared by groups using repeated measures ANCOVA’s.ResultsOn average, children grew 0.82 cm (0.32 in), and gained 0.56 kg (1.2 lbs) and 0.28 BMI units, however the average BMI-% slightly decreased by 0.4%. Overweight and obese children gained significantly more weight, BMI units and BMI-% units compared with normal weight children.ConclusionsThis study supports that the holiday period may be an important time to target children, especially those who are already overweight and obese.KeywordsHoliday weight gain; Childhood obesity