Classroom “Cupcake” Celebrations: Observations of Foods Offered and Consumed

Isoldi, Kathy K.; Dalton, Sharron; Rodriguez, Desiree P.; Nestle, Marion

doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2011.03.144

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Several USA studies reported that classroom celebration treats consist of low-nutrient calorie-dense snacks [27]. For example, the mean calorie intake during classroom celebrations for first-grade school children was estimated at 550 ± 212 calories [28].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

School food policy at Dutch primary schools: room for improvement? Cross-sectional findings from the INPACT study

et al. 2013

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BackgroundSchools can play an important role in the prevention of obesity, e.g. by providing an environment that stimulates healthy eating habits and by developing a food policy to provide such an environment. The effectiveness of a school food policy is affected by the content of the policy, its implementation and its support by parents, teachers and principals. The aim of this study is to detect opportunities to improve the school food policy and/or implementation at Dutch primary schools. Therefore, this study explores the school food policy and investigates schools’ (teachers and principals) and parents’ opinion on the school food policy.MethodsData on the schools’ perspective of the food policy was collected from principals and teachers by means of semi-structured interviews. In total 74 principals and 72 teachers from 83 Dutch primary schools were interviewed. Data on parental perceptions about the school food policy were based on a cross-sectional survey among 1,429 parents from the same schools.ResultsMost principals (87.1%) reported that their school had a written food policy; however in most cases the rules were not clearly defined. Most of the principals (87.8%) believed that their school paid sufficient attention to nutrition and health. Teachers and principals felt that parents were primarily responsible to encourage healthy eating habits among children, while 49.8% of the parents believed that it is also a responsibility of the school to foster healthy eating habits among children. Most parents reported that they appreciated the school food policy and comply with the food rules. Parents’ opinion on the enforcement of the school food policy varied: 28.1% believed that the school should enforce the policy more strongly, 32.1% was satisfied, and 39.8% had no opinion on this topic.ConclusionDutch primary schools could play a more important role in fostering healthy eating habits among children. The school food policy could be improved by clearly formulating food rules, simplifying supervision of the food rules, and defining how to enforce the food rules. In addition, the school food policy will only influence children’s dietary behaviour if both the school and the parents support the policy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

School food policy at Dutch primary schools: room for improvement? Cross-sectional findings from the INPACT study

et al. 2013

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“…Although participants did not wish to prohibit these types of foods entirely, most found their excessive availability contradicted healthy eating goals. Previous research has reported the presence of low-nutrient, energy dense foods through classroom celebrations [40,41] and the importance of school policies and engaging key stakeholders in strategies to shift norms and expectations related to celebration foods [42,43]. The emergence and success of healthy fundraising initiatives, such as fundraising through the provision of local produce boxes or non-food related options, is an example of positive change, where previously the norm has been for schools to rely on low-nutrition foods for fundraising initiatives [44,45].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding System-Level Intervention Points to Support School Food and Nutrition Policy Implementation in Nova Scotia, Canada

McIsaac

Spencer

Stewart

et al. 2019

IJERPH

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Supporting the implementation of school food and nutrition policies (SFNPs) is an international priority to encourage healthier eating among children and youth. Such policies can improve equitable access, resources, and supports for healthy eating. However, despite the potential impact of SFNPs, several implementation barriers have been reported. This study sought to examine the system-level intervention points within a school food system using a complex systems framework. We conducted semi-structured interviews with various stakeholders working to influence the school food system in Nova Scotia, Canada. We sought to understand their roles and experiences with the SFNP by applying the Intervention Level Framework (ILF), a novel, solutions-oriented approach to better understand how complex systems function. Participants (n = 33) included teachers, parents, cafeteria workers, public health staff and non-profit organizations. Interview transcripts were first coded, then themed and finally analyzed using the ILF, resulting in three intervention points within the school food system. These were defined as: (1) Actors and Elements, (2) System Regulation and Interconnections and (3) Purpose and Values. We concluded that understanding the interactions between these system levels and stakeholder roles can help to inform the development of relevant policy strategies that better support healthier school food environments in this jurisdiction.

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“…However, there is still room to improve as 71.8% of education practitioners provided treat foods at celebrations, and sweets were their first treat choice. Calorie intake during classroom celebrations and rewards could contribute 20-35% of students' daily estimated energy needs according to some observational studies (Caparosa et al, 2014;Isoldi et al, 2012).…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, children might also receive treat foods at classroom celebrations, classmates' birthday parties, family events, graduations, fund raising, etc. The totality of these celebrations in a given year could be quite substantial for many children (Caparosa et al, 2014;Isoldi, Dalton, Rodriguez, & Nestle, 2012;Porter & Grills, 2013;Schwartz, Chen, & Brownell, 2003), therefore their overall significance on dietary behaviour should be recognised.…”

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confidence: 99%

Is it still a real treat? Adults' treat provision to children

et al. 2018

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Consumption of high-energy foods in the absence of hunger has been identified as a key target to address in the area of obesity. For children, such foods are often provided by adults as treats. There is limited understating of adults' treat giving. The present study aimed to understand adults' provision of treats to children on the Island of Ireland. A total of 1039 participants, including parents, grandparents, child minders and education practitioners completed a face-to-face survey in their home. Participants defined their treats for children primarily as 'something nice', 'deserved/earned' and 'something special'. The top three motivations for treat foods provision were 'to reward for good behaviour' (42.3%), 'because the child(ren) ask' (42.2%) and 'to make the child(ren) feel better' (29.4%). Almost all participants would provide treat foods at celebrations and 52.5% always did so. In addition, 68% participants had structured weekly and/or daily treat for children. Treats provided to children were dominated by energy-dense foods. The top three were sweets, chocolates and ice-creams, being used by 45.2%, 45.1% and 38.8% participants. Variations were observed across different adult groups, in terms of their treat giving behaviour. The main observation was that adults' treat foods provision has become habitual. The findings can help develop targeted strategies to encourage the reduction or replacement of food treats for children.

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Classroom “Cupcake” Celebrations: Observations of Foods Offered and Consumed

Cited by 17 publications

References 23 publications

School food policy at Dutch primary schools: room for improvement? Cross-sectional findings from the INPACT study

School food policy at Dutch primary schools: room for improvement? Cross-sectional findings from the INPACT study

Understanding System-Level Intervention Points to Support School Food and Nutrition Policy Implementation in Nova Scotia, Canada

Is it still a real treat? Adults' treat provision to children

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