Publications by authors named "Alexandra Sova"
Salad Bars and Fruit and Vegetable Intake in Title I Elementary Schools.
Health Behav Policy Rev
October 2020
Objective: Despite widespread support for salad bars as a means to increase fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake within the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), empirical support for their use is limited. This cross-sectional study examined associations between salad bar access and F&V selection and consumption in Title I elementary schools in Virginia serving universal free meals.
Methods: Three matched pairs of schools (3 with salad bars; 3 without [control]) were randomly selected.
Objective: Adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) frequently experience deterioration in glycemic control. Providers have unique opportunities to address diabetes self-management, yet little is known about the most effective way to communicate with adolescents. This investigation used a motivational interviewing (MI) framework to characterize naturally-occurring adolescent patient-provider communication in medical encounters and examined relations between adolescent patient-provider communication and (a) T1D self-management and (b) glycemic control (hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c]).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Scientifically sound methods for investigating dietary consumption patterns from self-serve salad bars are needed to inform school policies and programs.
Objective: To examine the reliability and validity of digital imagery for determining starting portions and plate waste of self-serve salad bar vegetables (which have variable starting portions) compared with manual weights.
Design/methods: In a laboratory setting, 30 mock salads with 73 vegetables were made, and consumption was simulated.
Objective: To evaluate the 1-month impact of salad bars on fruit and vegetable (FV) selection, intake, and waste.
Design: Pre-post quasi-experimental design.
Setting: Title I elementary schools in a large, urban district in central Virginia.