Calorie labeling in a rural middle school influences food selection: Findings from community-based participatory research

Background. calorie labeling at the point-of-purchase in chain restaurants has been shown to reduce energy intake. objective. to investigate the impact of point-of-purchase calorie information at one rural middle school. methods. with a community-based participatory research framework a mixed method approach was used to evaluate the impact of point-of-purchase calorie information. students in grades 6-8,dining at the school cafeteria january and february 2010,participated for 17 school days each month; in january a menu was offered in the usual manner without calorie labels; the same menu was prepared in february with the addition of calorie labels at point-of-purchase. gross calories served per student were measured each day allowing for matched comparison by menu. in march/april of 2010,32 students who ate in the cafeteria 3 or more times per week were interviewed regarding their views on menu labeling. results. calorie consumption decreased by an average of 47 calories/day; fat intake reduced by 2.1 grams/day. five main themes were consistent throughout the interviews. conclusion. point-of-purchase calorie labels can play a role in reducing the number of calories consumed by middle school age children at the lunch. the majority of students interviewed found the calorie labels helped them choose healthier food. © 2015 monica hunsberger et al.