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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02522559

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

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Pediatric Obesity Body Weight Nutrition Disorders Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Obesity Overnutrition Overweight Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

11 year–19 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Bald Eagle Middle/High School

Wingate, Pennsylvania, 16823, United States

About this study

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.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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.

Treatment and study plan

Spice Intervention

Other

Spice Intervention:Novel herb and spice blends will be used in cafeteria recipes.

Primary outcomes

  1. Surveys defining barriers to vegetable consumption at Bald Eagle Area Middle/High School

    Time frame: Baseline

    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

  2. Taste tests to quantify the change in liking of vegetable recipes

    Time frame: Baseline and after recipe development (approximately 10 months). Prior to intervention.

    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.

  3. Change in vegetable plate waste

    Time frame: Baseline, Intervention and Follow-up (1 and 6 months)

    Weight of vegetable disappearance from the school cafeteria, minus waste weight, in kg.

Secondary outcomes

  1. School lunch program participation

    Time frame: Baseline, Intervention and Followup (1 and 6 months)

    Percentage of children who are participating in the school lunch program will be assessed the school years prior to and immediately after the intervention

  2. Post-meal comment cards

    Time frame: Baseline, Intervention and Followup (1 and 6 months)

    Student's will rate satisfaction with the school lunches by completing anonymous, post-meal comment cards during the baseline, intervention, and follow-up phases.

Other outcomes

  1. Age Covariate

    Time frame: Baseline

    We plan to assess age to see if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey.

  2. Weight Status Covariate

    Time frame: Baseline

    We plan to assess weight status to see if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey.

  3. Parental Feeding Practices Covariate

    Time frame: Baseline

    We plan to assess if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey.

  4. Parental Education Covariate

    Time frame: Baseline

    We plan to assess if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey.

  5. Family Culture Covariate

    Time frame: Baseline

    We plan to assess if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey.

  6. Family Intake of Herbs/Spices at Home Covariate

    Time frame: Baseline

    We plan to assess if this covariate influences a student's response to the survey.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Penn State University

Other

Collaborators

  • McCormick Science Institute

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2015
Primary completion
2017
Study completion
2017
First posted
Aug 13, 2015
Registry last updated
Jan 5, 2018

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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