Evaluation report
66534 Evaluation plans for a summer child nutrition assistance program to better understand translation of policy to community health
Lee J, Fulkerson J, Harnack L, Guan W ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This evaluation study examines the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which provides meals to children during summer months when school is not in session. The study will track 60 elementary school children across three time points to assess whether the program reduces food insecurity, improves diet quality, and affects body weight. Researchers will also analyze the nutritional content of meals served at SFSP sites and describe the characteristics of participating families.
Key points
- The study uses a prospective single-group design with measurements at baseline (spring), program end, and follow-up (following spring)
- Data collection includes parent surveys on food insecurity and demographics, children's dietary recalls, and anthropometric measurements
- The study hypothesizes that SFSP meals are higher in sugar and fat and lower in fruits and vegetables compared to dietary guidelines
- Researchers expect consistent SFSP participation will reduce food insecurity but may not improve diet quality or body mass index
- Menu analysis from at least ten SFSP sites will assess nutritional adequacy using the Healthy Eating Index-2015
Limitations
This is a study protocol describing planned evaluation methods rather than completed research results. The single-group design without a comparison group limits causal conclusions about program effects, and findings will only reflect the specific cohorts and sites studied.
Abstract
ABSTRACT IMPACT: Study findings can guide improvements of the Summer Food Service Program to maximize the program’s desired effects on child summer nutrition and related health outcomes. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) addresses food insecurity during summer months. Project specific aims are to: 1. Describe characteristics of children participating in the SFSP. 2. Determine the nutritional quality of the SFSP foods. 3. Evaluate changes in children’s food insecurity, diet quality, and body mass index by SFSP participation. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: A single group, prospective, staggered cohort design will be used for the proposed study. Two cohorts of 30 (N=60) elementary students and their parents will be recruited during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school year. Each participant will complete a measurement session at three time-points: Baseline (spring), Post-Program (program end), and Follow-Up (following spring). Parents will complete an online survey about household food insecurity and family socio-demographic characteristics. Children will complete three 24-hour dietary recall interviews, and their heights, weight and percent body fat will be measured. The menus of at least ten SFSP sites will be analyzed to determine the nutritional adequacy of the site menus by using the Healthy Eating Index-2015. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Study hypotheses are as followed: Aim 1. Not all of the children participating in the SFSP are from food-insecure or low-income households. Aim 2. Meals served at the SFSP will be higher in sugar and fat and lower in fruits and vegetables compared to recommendations in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Additionally, the Healthy Eating Index-2015 score of the SFSP menus will be lower than that of the National School Lunch Program menus. Aim 3. Consistent SFSP participation will have a positive effect on reducing food insecurity, but not on increasing diet quality and reducing body mass index and percent body fat in children. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: Program user information will determine if the program is reaching the target audience. Program managers will utilize menu analysis results to improve their menu nutritional quality. Changes in food insecurity, diet quality and anthropometric measures will inform whether the program needs to be improved to prevent any untoward excess weight gain.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Summer Food Service Program providing meals to children during summer break
- Population
- Elementary school children (N=60) recruited in 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years and their parents
Key finding
Study hypothesizes consistent SFSP participation will reduce food insecurity