Salad Bars in the National School Lunch Program: Impact on Dietary Consumption Patterns in Elementary School Students

NCT ID: NCT05605483

Last Updated: 2023-08-02

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Total Enrollment

6269 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2019-02-13

Study Completion Date

2023-04-26

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

This project is a research study looking at what foods students choose and eat during school lunch and examines how salad bars impact what children eat.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

This project applies a wait list control cluster randomized controlled trial to evaluate school salad bars. This project uses digital images (pictures) of labeled trays in the cafeteria before and after children eat lunch. This project also asks cafeteria workers about their thoughts about salad bars and their experiences with the salad bar program.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Diet, Food, and Nutrition

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Observational Model Type

CASE_CONTROL

Study Time Perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Schools with salad bars

Schools with salad bars

Salad bar

Intervention Type OTHER

Schools where the school district has installed salad bars

Schools without salad bars

Schools without salad bars

Waitlisted control

Intervention Type OTHER

Schools where the school district has not yet installed salad bars

Schools with salad parts post COVID-19

A subset schools with salad bars that were examined pre-COVID-19 will undergo methods again.

Salad bar post-COVID

Intervention Type OTHER

Schools where the school distract has re-opened salad bars will have methods repeated in a subset of schools post-COVID-19

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Salad bar

Schools where the school district has installed salad bars

Intervention Type OTHER

Waitlisted control

Schools where the school district has not yet installed salad bars

Intervention Type OTHER

Salad bar post-COVID

Schools where the school distract has re-opened salad bars will have methods repeated in a subset of schools post-COVID-19

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Students: All K-6th grade students at target schools who participate in the school lunch program on rating day
* Cafeteria staff: All cafeteria personnel at the randomly selected target schools will be eligible to complete surveys

Exclusion Criteria

* Students: Unsure sex of child
* Cafeteria staff: None
Minimum Eligible Age

5 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

George Mason University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Virginia Commonwealth University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Melanie K Bean, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

VCU

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Healthy Lifestyles Center at the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU

Henrico, Virginia, United States

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Bean MK, Mazzeo SE, de Jonge L, Thornton L, Raynor H, Mendoza A, Farthing S, Moore B. Impact of school salad bars on fruit and vegetable selection, intake, and waste in Mid-Atlantic elementary schools. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2025 Feb 5;22(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s12966-025-01713-y.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 39910590 (View on PubMed)

Bean MK, Raynor HA, Thornton LM, de Jonge L, Mazzeo SE. Design and rationale for evaluating the impact of salad bars on elementary school students' fruit, vegetable, and energy intake: a wait list control, cluster randomized controlled trial. BMC Public Health. 2022 Dec 9;22(1):2304. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-14744-y.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 36494649 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

HM20012226

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

The Effect of Portion Sizes on Mood
NCT01725425 ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING NA
Meal Presentation and Liking
NCT02505230 ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING NA