Can Student-Driven Changes Increase Salad Bar Usage In Schools?

Increasing student salad bar participation may increase students' consumption of fruits and vegetables while decreasing their risk of chronic disease. This study observed student perception, experience, and participation of the school salad bar in two northwest Mississippi high schools. The subjects were students' age 15-18 years old. One school served as the control variable and one served as the intervention variable. A three-week baseline of salad bar participation was collected before surveying students at the intervention school. Surveying student perception and experience of the salad bar provided data to implement changes to the salad bar. Student perception and experience was evaluated again with a post-survey once the intervention to the salad bar continued for six weeks. Salad bar participation data was collected from both schools throughout the study. T-test analysis found that implementing student-driven changes significantly (p<0.05) increased participation by 4.43% at the intervention school. Perception and experience of the salad bar increased in 90% of survey factors from pre-intervention to post-intervention. The survey measured salad bar food quality, staff responsiveness and empathy, and program reliability. A correlation analysis found that the salad bar participation at the control school decreased across the course of the study compared to the intervention school. Student selection of the salad bar increased from 6.9% pre-intervention to 11.4% post-intervention. These findings show that incorporating student-driven changes can increase salad bar participation in a short-term intervention.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S. in Food and Nutrition Services

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Nutrition and Hospitality Management

Year dc:date.available

2014

Author dc:creator

• Leeke, Shannon

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kathy Knight
• Ann Monroe
• Hyun-Woo Joung

• Foodservice
• National School Lunch Program
• Participation
• Salad Bar
• School Lunch
• Student-Driven Changes
• Nutrition

Repository record dc:identifier

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/1008

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:egrove.olemiss.edu:etd-2007