1. Study Design Self-serve salad bar at lunch Children must take two items Three lunch periods, 2 grades each period Three observation days each week (M W F) Table set up at waste disposal area All children leave tray on table upon leaving Researchers separate FV waste into bus tubs by item After all lunch periods, waste is weighed for each FV item All amounts weighed using digital scale (pounds) Pounds to ounces (multiply by 16) Ounces per lunch served (divide by lunches served) Initial FV available for serving Leftover FV not served/not taken FV waste, taken but not eaten Initial – Waste – Leftover = Consumption Aggregate measure of FV (daily) Background Fruit and vegetable consumption has been shown to improve health and reduce the risk of a variety of costly chronic diseases. However, children’s fruit and vegetable intake in the United States is well below USDA recommended guidelines. As a result, increasing children’s fruit and vegetable consumption has become an important focus among practitioners, policymakers and researchers. There have been many school-based policies and interventions designed to increase children’s fruit and vegetable consumption. In particular, recent research has begun to examine the influence of incentives to motivate children to eat more fruits and vegetables. Literature Review Children’s low FV intake National Cancer Institute, 2013; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012; Eaton, et al., 2012; Kimmons et al., 2009; Lorson et al.,2009 FV intake increased with interventions in school such as verbal encouragement, school food service and teacher involvement Perry et al. 2004, Reynolds et al. 2000, Gortmaker et al. 1999, Bica & Jamelske 2012, Jamelske & Bica 2012, Evans et al., 2012; Knai et al., 2006 FV intake increased with options/choices Slusser et al. 2007, Schwartz et al. 2015, Cohen et al. 2014 Using incentives to increase FV intake Just & Price 2013a, Wengreen et al. 2013, Hendy et al. 2005, Horne et al. 2004, Bica and Jamelske 2015 Measuring the Impact of Incentives on Aggregate Fruit and Vegetable Consumption for Lunch in Two Wisconsin Elementary Schools Students: Alex Brault, Alaina Culbertson, Nicholas Douglass, Jisu Kim, Emily Koehn, Zhi Wen Leong, Jonathan Pumper & Lucy Ramquist Faculty Mentors: Sydney Chinchanachokchai & Eric Jamelske We gratefully acknowledge generous funding support from the UWEC Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, Blugold Commitment, Xcel Energy of Eau Claire, and Northwestern Bank of Chippewa Falls. Current Research The research literature provides many examples of attempts to increase children’s fruit and vegetable consumption in a variety of settings and contexts. Although prior research has explored how incentives affect children’s fruit and vegetable consumption, most studies measured the effect at the individual level (reward to each student for individual behavior). In this study we have added to the existing literature through examining the use of group-level incentives to motivate children to eat more fruits and vegetables at the aggregate level. These efforts are in partnership with the administration, teachers and food service staff from two Wisconsin elementary schools. Participants School I: 424 students and 20 teachers School II: 406 students and 20 teachers Only the students who took the school lunch were observed, thus the number of student participants varied across days. RESULTS METHOD INTRODUCTION Study Phases Initial baseline, 3 days No intervention, just measuring Announcements, encouragement and incentives, 6 days (4 days) Prizes if aggregate FV consumption increases Return to baseline, 3 days Principal and teacher survey after all phases of study concluded Participation, engagement, encouragement, enthusiasm Announcements and Encouragement Daily morning announcement over PA system (general, principal) Daily classroom announcement before lunch (specific, teachers) Teachers asked to provide students with added encouragement Letter sent home to parents Posters and encouragement in cafeteria Incentives All students and staff receive free bowling/roller skating passes Chance to win $20 Walmart gift card (two per grade) Plaque of recognition for school office Fruit & Vegetable Offerings Generally same in both schools, repeated through study phases Apple Slices, Diced Peaches, Red Grapes, Diced Pears, Kiwi Halves, Fruit Cocktail, Pineapple Chunks, Banana Baby Carrots, Green Salad, Cherry Tomatoes Our results show aggregate fruit and vegetable consumption increased in both schools during the incentive period. The increase in School I was statistically significant and much larger than the slight increase in School II which was not statistically significant. We also found that only School I sustained an increase in consumption during the return to baseline period, but this increase was limited to only fruit. There were several strengths and successes of this research as well as some important limitations and a variety of challenges that we encountered leading to several recommendations for future research. Our next research examines and describes these successes, strengths, limitations and challenges as well as recommendations for future work in more detail. Please see our second poster titled Successes, Challenges and Recommendations Regarding Using Incentives to Increase Aggregate Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Elementary Schools for a presentation of the results from this extended research. DISCUSSION Ounces per ½ cup vary by FV item Minimum of 0.8 oz. per ½ cup for salad Maximum of 4 oz. per ½ cup for peaches, pears Weighted average across items in each period Baseline period compared to incentive period Fruit [M B1 = 2.55 (SD = 0.43), M I = 2.71 (SD = 0.56), t(7) = 0.43, p = 0.68] [M I = 2.71 (SD = 0.56), M B2 = 2.48 (SD = 0.55), t(7) = 0.58, p = 0.58] Vegetable [M B1 = 0.43 (SD = 0.45), M I = 0.53 (SD = 0.23), t(7) = 0.49, p = 0.64] [M I = 0.53 (SD = 0.23), M B2 = 0.63 (SD = 0.14), t(7) = 0.65, p = 0.54] F & V [M B1 = 2.97 (SD = 0.88), M I = 3.24 (SD = 0.54), t(7) = 0.57, p = 0.58] [M I = 3.24 (SD = 0.54), M B2 = 3.11 (SD = 0.41), t(7) = 0.36, p = 0.73] Fruit [MB1 = 1.80 (SD = 0.50), MI = 2.62 (SD = 0.60), t(5) = 1.92, p = 0.11] [MI = 2.62 (SD = 0.60), MB2 = 2.54 (SD = 1.15), t(5) = 0.13, p = 0.90] Vegetable [MB1 = 0.52 (SD = 0.18), MI = 0.78 (SD = 0.13), t(5) = 2.29, p = 0.07] [MI = 0.78 (SD = 0.13), MB2 = 0.40 (SD = 0.15), t(5) = 3.57, p = 0.02] F & V [MB1 = 2.32 (SD = 0.40), MI = 3.40 (SD = 0.70), t(5) = 2.38, p = 0.06] [MI = 3.40 (SD = 0.70), MB2 = 2.94 (SD = 1.16), t(5) = 0.67, p = 0.53] Half-cup Serving per Lunch by School Total Daily Consumption by School Ounces per lunched served Number of lunches served Calculate total amount consumed Baseline period compared to incentive period