Comprehensive School Nutrition Services

Joint Position of the American Dietetic Association,

School Nutrition Association, and Society for Nutrition Education:
Comprehensive School Nutrition Services
Summary and Review

Aliena Messina
Senior Seminar
Madonna University
October 20, 2014

Comprehensive School Nutrition Services

In 2010, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics [formerly the American Dietetic
Association (ADA)] joined with the School Nutrition Association (SNA), and the Society for
Nutrition Education to outline a position on the nutrition related services offered in schools.
Their reasoning for taking a position on such a broad topic stemmed from the recent findings
on portion sizes, physical education and nutrition education offered in schools, or lack-there-of.
Research has found that there are increased portion sizes and increased energy intake overall.
Additionally, with fewer meals being eaten in the home, there has also been an increase in the
intake of convenience foods which are often poor in nutritional value. The Academy, SNA, and
SNE have also documented a decrease in physical activity and a lack of physical education
requirements in schools; in addition to a lack of nutrition education. 50 hours of nutrition
education is recommended while most schools average only 13 during the school year. Finally,
with the National School Lunch Program guidelines in place these groups have acknowledged a
need for strengthened school wellness polices because this is where children will spend a
majority of their time; early intervention into nutrition related problems in children and
adolescents is the best strategy to prevent overweight, obesity and other nutrition-related
disorders.
Comprehensive School Nutrition Services
Comprehensive school nutrition services are acknowledged by the Academy, SNE and
SNA as the best way to combat nutrition-related problems in school-aged children. The main
components include nutrition education and promotion, foods available on the school campus,
school-home partnerships, and finally, health services. As of the 2007-2008 school-year, school
wellness policies were generally acknowledged to be weak and inconsistent. Therefore, the

Comprehensive School Nutrition Services

Academy, SNA and SNE took the position that strengthening school wellness programs would
be the best place to start amending school policies to better the health of youth in the United
States.
Nutrition Education and Promotion It is the position of the aforementioned groups that to
teach and promote healthy eating using a joint cafeteria-classroom approach is the best way to
encourage healthy behavior change. With fewer than the recommended 50 hours of nutrition
education for students per year, a new approach for healthy behavior change is needed.
Research has shown that education for nutritional interventions is most effective when specific
behaviors are targeted, youth interests and motivations are focused on, the messages are
delivered clearly with a focus, when the lessons involve multiple components, and when staff is
given opportunities for professional development in order to help them better educate their
students; farm-to-school and garden-based programs can useful here. Additionally, the groups
call for standardized nutrition education policies in order to better educate students all across
the nation.
Foods Available in Schools Food in schools encompasses more than just what is served in the
cafeteria; with the No Child Left Behind Act, nutrition education was often the first thing to go,
along with adequate lunch periods. On top of shorter lunch periods, there is an increase in the
purchase of agricultural commodity foods, traditionally high in fat and sodium, which have been
given a make-over by the USDA with lower salt content, no sugar added and the removal of
Trans fats from potato products. Additionally, research has shown that schools are serving
more fruits and vegetables due to the purchase of these agricultural commodity foods, as well
as more whole-grain items. This is a great beginning, however, at the same time there are also

Comprehensive School Nutrition Services

many competitive foods being sold in schools outside of lunchtime, as well as no guidelines on
what can be used as rewards in classrooms, or what can be served during classroom parties.
The groups call for a stricter regulation of these types of foods in partnership with school
nutrition practitioners.
School-Home-Community Partnerships They also call for a more prominent partnership
between the schools, parents, students, and the community as a whole. Research shows that
the more consistent the nutrition messages are, in addition to coming from multiple sources,
the more often students make healthy behavior changes. A supportive environment is needed
to encourage these changes; with a decline in the occurrence of social/family mealtimes,
additional health messages and increases in nutrition education are necessary.
Health Services With regards the health services, the groups mention one major source of
primary and preventative care for students that is growing as the years pass: School Based
Health Centers (SBHCs). The idea began in the 1970s and by 2009, there were over 1700 in 44
states. These centers are sponsored by hospitals, non-profits, health centers, and local health
departments and have been shown to bridge the gap between students and preventative
healthcare. However, their sustainability may be threatened by the lack of school budget for
such programs.
Recommendations for School Nutrition Professionals
The groups recommends that schools put together wellness teams to assess school
nutrition policies and implement strategies that are accessible and cost-effective for the
schools. School nutrition practitioners are acknowledged as being second only to school
superintendents when it comes to encouraging nutrition behavior changes in their students.

Comprehensive School Nutrition Services

The groups outline the nutrition professionals duty to ensure safe food handling practices,
ensure the use of MNT and nutrition-related food services are provided to students in need,
and additionally to ensure that the findings of the wellness team are evaluated and used to
make schools healthy environments for youth. Finally, the Academy, SNE and SNA finish their
position by outlining the professional standards for school nutrition practitioners.
What Do I think?
The groups did a very thorough overview of the current lack of standards and what
standards need to be strengthened, however I am not sure that they were clear in advising
schools and parents on what they specifically need to do. The paper outlines specific duties of
professionals working in nutrition but does not exactly explain the best way for those in school
management positions to best assemble multi-disciplinary teams that can plan, implement, and
evaluate nutrition related policies in schools. I think that the Academy, SNE, and SNA should
have called the government to help mandate standards for nutrition education and physical
education in schools that can be easily enforced throughout the nation. I also feel that the
Academy should almost have volunteered to standardize nutrition education lessons and
practices, especially since they are the most qualified to plan such lessons. Finally, I believe that
the federal government should mandate a standard lunch time-period in order for children to
enjoy and not rush through mealtimesa practice that can overtime be a contributing factor to
overweight and obesity in youth and in adults.

Comprehensive School Nutrition Services

References
Briggs M, Mueller CG, Fleischhacker S. Position of the American Dietetic Association, School
Nutrition Association, and Society for Nutrition Education: Comprehensive School Nutrition
Services. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010; 110:1738 1749.