Engaging Stakeholders From Volunteer-Led Out-of-School Time Programs in the Dissemination of Guiding Principles for Healthy Snacking and Physical Activity.

Background: Little effort has focused on the role of volunteer-led out-of-school time (OST) programs (ie, enrichment and sports programs) as key environments for the promotion of healthy eating and physical activity habits among school-aged children. The Healthy Kids Out of School (HKOS) initiative developed evidence-based, practical guiding principles for healthy snacks, beverages, and physical activity. The goal of this case study was to describe the methods used to engage regional partners to understand how successful implementation and dissemination of these principles could be accomplished.

Great Taste, Less Waste: a cluster-randomized trial using a communications campaign to improve the quality of foods brought from home to school by elementary school children.

Objective: Great Taste, Less Waste (GTLW), a communications campaign, capitalized on the synergy between healthy eating and eco-friendly behaviors to motivate children to bring more fruits and vegetables and fewer sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) to school.

Methods: A cluster-randomized trial in Eastern Massachusetts elementary schools in 2011-2012 tested the hypothesis that GTLW would improve the quality of foods from home more than a nutrition-only campaign--Foods 2 Choose (F2C)--or control. Lunch and snack items from home were measured at baseline and 7 months later using digital photography.

What's in children's backpacks: foods brought from home.

Forty-one percent of elementary schoolchildren bring lunch to school on any given day. Forty-five percent bring snacks. Surprisingly, little is known about the foods and beverages they bring.

A comparison of food refusal related to characteristics of food in children with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing children.

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently report child food refusal based on characteristics of food. Our study sought to determine whether parent report of food refusal based on the characteristics of food was greater in children with ASD than in typically developing children, associated with a greater percentage of foods refused of those offered, and associated with fruit and vegetable intake. A modified food frequency questionnaire was used to determine overall food refusal as well as fruit and vegetable intake.

The adaptation of a school-based health promotion programme for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities: a community-engaged research process.

Background: Evidenced-based health promotion programmes for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are notably absent. Barriers include a lack of understanding of how to adapt existing evidence-based programmes to their needs, maximize inclusion and support mutual goals of health and autonomy.

Methods: We undertook a community-engaged process to adapt a school-based nutrition intervention in a residential school for youth with I/DD.

Impact of a Smarter Lunchroom intervention on food selection and consumption among adolescents and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in a residential school setting.

Objective: To assess whether a Smarter Lunchroom intervention based on behavioural economics and adapted for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities would increase the selection and consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and reduce the selection and consumption of refined grains.

Design: The 3-month intervention took place at a residential school between March and June 2012. The evaluation employed a quasi-experimental, pre-post design comparing five matched days of dietary data.