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ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF AN EDUCATIONAL MARKETING MEDIA INTERVENTION ON SCHOOL LUNCH PARTICIPATION RATES AT AN

UPSTATE NY SCHOOL DISTRICT.J. Gibberman, MS, K. McComb, MS, RD, The Sage Colleges, Troy, NY

INTRODUCTION METHODS RESULTS

OBJECTIVES

REFERENCES

The goal of this study was to:

Assess factors that potentially influence school foodservice participation rates in middle and high school.

Measure changes in school lunch participation after viewing educational marketing videos.

1. Foodservice Director. 2013 K-12 Census: School districts struggle with elements of the new meal regs. Available at: http://www.foodservicedirector.com/research/industry-census/articles/2013-k-12-census-school-districts-struggle-elements-new-meal-regs. Accessed March 31, 2014.

2. Meyer MK, Conklin MT. (1998). Variables affecting high school students’ perceptions of school foodservice. J Am Diet Assoc. 1998;12:1424-1431.

Two similar school lunch educational and marketing videos were produced and aired to all students in both middle and high school during class time.

A video board containing a PowerPoint that summarized the same educational and marketing information was displayed during all high school lunch periods over 18 days.

An upstate New York school district has lost money due to recent changes in school food service requirements, and has been unable to break even in foodservice operation’s cost.

School lunch program directors nationwide are struggling with school lunch participation rates and successfully implementing the new regulation requirements.1

School lunch participation rates have been found to be dependent on multiple factors, including variety, satisfaction with food quality and effective marketing strategies.2

METHODS

A 5-item foodservice survey was administered to 190 (12%) middle school and 119 (5.6%) high school students to:

Assess perceived quality and healthfulness of school lunch.

Assess knowledge of required meal components.

Participation rates were measured by the number of students who purchased a full meal, i.e., those who selected at least 3 meal components offered.

Teachers distributed the surveys in the classrooms for a period of 3 days.

RESULTS

Demonstration photographs used in the middle school video of complete well balanced meals

  Low Quality Mediocre Quality High Quality

Middle School

(n=190)

84 (44%) 99 (52%) 7 (4%)

High School (n=119) 59 (50%) 60 (50%) 0 (0%)

  Knew what a complete meal consists of

Did not know what a complete meal consists of

Middle School

(n=190)

121 (64%) 69 (36%)

High School (n=119) 92 (77%) 27 (23%)

CONCLUSIONS

Middle School High School

506Meals

826Meals

517 Meals

657Meals

Change in School Lunch Participation Rates

Prior to Video After Video

Table 1. Survey Results - Perceived Food Quality

Table 2. Survey Results - Knowledge of What Constitutes a Complete Meal

Participation rates the day after airing the educational video:

Middle School: Increased to 517 from 506

High School: Decreased to 657 from 826

Of middle and high school students that identified themselves as eating in the school cafeteria ≥ 50% of the time (n=182), 66 (36%) students did not think the cafeteria food is healthy.

Educational and marketing media aimed at students may improve perceived quality and healthfulness of school lunch and knowledge of required meal components in middle and high school students.

Future studies implementing more frequent and prolonged educational and marketing media interventions are recommended to fully assess their impact on lunch participation.

The majority of middle and high school students perceive the cafeteria food as low to mediocre quality.

The majority of middle and high school students did know what constituted a complete meal.