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Using Herbs and Spices to Increase Children's Acceptance and Intake of Vegetables in School Lunches

Primary Purpose

Pediatric Obesity

Status
Completed
Phase
Not Applicable
Locations
United States
Study Type
Interventional
Intervention
Spice Intervention
Sponsored by
Penn State University
About
Eligibility
Locations
Arms
Outcomes
Full info

About this trial

This is an interventional other trial for Pediatric Obesity

Eligibility Criteria

11 Years - 19 Years (Child, Adult)All SexesAccepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Student in Bald Eagle Area Middle/High School
  • Parents of students in Bald Eagle Area Middle/High School
  • School Food Service Employees at the Bald Eagle Area Middle/High School

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Students/children who have food allergies to herb/spice blend ingredients.

Sites / Locations

  • Bald Eagle Middle/High School

Arms of the Study

Arm 1

Arm Type

Experimental

Arm Label

Spice Intervention

Arm Description

Spice intervention: Student-approved vegetable recipes will be served in the school cafeteria.

Outcomes

Primary Outcome Measures

Surveys defining barriers to vegetable consumption at Bald Eagle Area Middle/High School
Conduct surveys of students, parents and food service experts to gather information describing ways to increase vegetable intake at Bald Eagle Area Middle/High School
Taste tests to quantify the change in liking of vegetable recipes
Student's liking of vegetables prepared with herbs/spices will be assessed during the taste tests by setting up sensory panels in their culinary and consumer education classes. Participating students will rate liking and will provide written feedback to inform recipe development.
Change in vegetable plate waste
Weight of vegetable disappearance from the school cafeteria, minus waste weight, in kg.

Secondary Outcome Measures

School lunch program participation
Percentage of children who are participating in the school lunch program will be assessed the school years prior to and immediately after the intervention
Post-meal comment cards
Student's will rate satisfaction with the school lunches by completing anonymous, post-meal comment cards during the baseline, intervention, and follow-up phases.

Full Information

First Posted
April 6, 2015
Last Updated
January 3, 2018
Sponsor
Penn State University
Collaborators
McCormick Science Institute
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1. Study Identification

Unique Protocol Identification Number
NCT02522559
Brief Title
Using Herbs and Spices to Increase Children's Acceptance and Intake of Vegetables in School Lunches
Official Title
Using Herbs and Spices to Increase Children's Acceptance and Intake of Vegetables in School Lunches
Study Type
Interventional

2. Study Status

Record Verification Date
January 2018
Overall Recruitment Status
Completed
Study Start Date
April 14, 2015 (Actual)
Primary Completion Date
December 22, 2017 (Actual)
Study Completion Date
December 22, 2017 (Actual)

3. Sponsor/Collaborators

Responsible Party, by Official Title
Principal Investigator
Name of the Sponsor
Penn State University
Collaborators
McCormick Science Institute

4. Oversight

Data Monitoring Committee
No

5. Study Description

Brief Summary
Herbs and spices offer one potential solution to the recent decline in children taking school lunch because they can increase the palatability of foods without adding salt and fat. However, there is currently limited evidence on how to successfully integrate herbs and spices into the school lunch menu. Developing evidence-based methods to teach school cafeteria workers to prepare healthy and tasty vegetable dishes with the addition of herbs and spices is a research priority. The investigators hypothesize that herbs and spices can be used to increase acceptance, intake, and participation in the school lunch program among 6th - 12th grade students from Central Pennsylvania.
Detailed Description
What this study will add to the literature: Herbs and spices offer one potential solution to the recent decline in children taking school lunch because they can increase the palatability of foods without adding salt and fat. However, there is currently limited evidence on how to successfully integrate herbs and spices into the school lunch menu. Developing evidence-based methods to teach school cafeteria workers to prepare healthy and tasty vegetable dishes with the addition of herbs and spices is a research priority. This research will provide evidence that herbs and spices can be used to increase acceptance, intake, and participation in the school lunch program among 6th - 12th grade students from Central Pennsylvania.

6. Conditions and Keywords

Primary Disease or Condition Being Studied in the Trial, or the Focus of the Study
Pediatric Obesity

7. Study Design

Primary Purpose
Other
Study Phase
Not Applicable
Interventional Study Model
Single Group Assignment
Masking
None (Open Label)
Allocation
N/A
Enrollment
110 (Actual)

8. Arms, Groups, and Interventions

Arm Title
Spice Intervention
Arm Type
Experimental
Arm Description
Spice intervention: Student-approved vegetable recipes will be served in the school cafeteria.
Intervention Type
Other
Intervention Name(s)
Spice Intervention
Intervention Description
Spice Intervention:Novel herb and spice blends will be used in cafeteria recipes.
Primary Outcome Measure Information:
Title
Surveys defining barriers to vegetable consumption at Bald Eagle Area Middle/High School
Description
Conduct surveys of students, parents and food service experts to gather information describing ways to increase vegetable intake at Bald Eagle Area Middle/High School
Time Frame
Baseline
Title
Taste tests to quantify the change in liking of vegetable recipes
Description
Student's liking of vegetables prepared with herbs/spices will be assessed during the taste tests by setting up sensory panels in their culinary and consumer education classes. Participating students will rate liking and will provide written feedback to inform recipe development.
Time Frame
Baseline and after recipe development (approximately 10 months). Prior to intervention.
Title
Change in vegetable plate waste
Description
Weight of vegetable disappearance from the school cafeteria, minus waste weight, in kg.
Time Frame
Baseline, Intervention and Follow-up (1 and 6 months)
Secondary Outcome Measure Information:
Title
School lunch program participation
Description
Percentage of children who are participating in the school lunch program will be assessed the school years prior to and immediately after the intervention
Time Frame
Baseline, Intervention and Followup (1 and 6 months)
Title
Post-meal comment cards
Description
Student's will rate satisfaction with the school lunches by completing anonymous, post-meal comment cards during the baseline, intervention, and follow-up phases.
Time Frame
Baseline, Intervention and Followup (1 and 6 months)
Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures:
Title
Age Covariate
Description
We plan to assess age to see if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey.
Time Frame
Baseline
Title
Weight Status Covariate
Description
We plan to assess weight status to see if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey.
Time Frame
Baseline
Title
Parental Feeding Practices Covariate
Description
We plan to assess if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey.
Time Frame
Baseline
Title
Parental Education Covariate
Description
We plan to assess if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey.
Time Frame
Baseline
Title
Family Culture Covariate
Description
We plan to assess if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey.
Time Frame
Baseline
Title
Family Intake of Herbs/Spices at Home Covariate
Description
We plan to assess if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey.
Time Frame
Baseline

10. Eligibility

Sex
All
Minimum Age & Unit of Time
11 Years
Maximum Age & Unit of Time
19 Years
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: Student in Bald Eagle Area Middle/High School Parents of students in Bald Eagle Area Middle/High School School Food Service Employees at the Bald Eagle Area Middle/High School Exclusion Criteria: Students/children who have food allergies to herb/spice blend ingredients.
Overall Study Officials:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Kathleen L. Keller, PhD
Organizational Affiliation
Penn State University
Official's Role
Principal Investigator
Facility Information:
Facility Name
Bald Eagle Middle/High School
City
Wingate
State/Province
Pennsylvania
ZIP/Postal Code
16823
Country
United States

12. IPD Sharing Statement

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Using Herbs and Spices to Increase Children's Acceptance and Intake of Vegetables in School Lunches

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