Calories in the classroom: celebration foods offered and consumed during classroom parties at an elementary school in a low-income, urban community.

BACKGROUND: The school food environment is an important area of exploration in investigating the potential for schoolchildren to consume foods and beverages containing excess calories on school grounds. Several venues offer schoolchildren access to lownutrient, calorie-dense foods and beverages. Classroom celebrations offer such a venue; however, little is known about current practices during these events. METHODS: Trained observers recorded foods and beverages offered, activities engaged in, and goody bag distribution during six separate classroom celebrations. Additionally, foods and beverages consumed by 24 individual students were recorded in detail for calorie estimation. RESULTS: The majority of food items offered during classroom celebrations were low-nutrient, calorie-dense items. The mean caloric contribution for all 24 students was 444 ± 221 calories, with a range of 130­905 calories, and a median intake of 386 calories. Mean total estimated calorie intake per grade level was 225 ± 90, 286 ± 105, and 550 ± 212 calories for students in prekindergarten, kindergarten, and 1st grade, respectively. Only one-third of all the parties observed included activities other than eating. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations reveal that food items offered during classroom celebrations offer children opportunities to consume low-nutrient, calorie-dense foods and beverages on the school campus. More research is needed to support these findings, and to identify the best practice to implement for effective school wellness policies aimed at regulating classroom celebrations.

Classroom "cupcake" celebrations: observations of foods offered and consumed.

OBJECTIVE: To describe food and beverage types offered and consumed during classroom celebrations at an elementary school in a low-income, urban community. In addition, to report student intake of fresh fruit provided alongside other party foods. METHODS: Observations held during 4 classroom celebrations. Food and beverage items were measured and counted before and after each celebration. Consumption data were recorded in aggregate for the entire classroom and later adjusted to mean intake per student. RESULTS: Majority of items offered were low-nutrient, energy-dense foods. Mean caloric intake during celebrations ranged from 259 to 455 cal. Fruit provided during 2 of the 4 classroom celebrations resulted in a mean intake of 1 full serving per student. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Caloric intake from low-nutrient, energy-dense foods and beverages offered during classroom celebrations contributed 20% or more of daily caloric needs. However, fresh fruit may be a reasonable addition to the party food table.

Patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis with low vs high levels of nutritional risk have decreased morbidity.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the demographic and clinical characteristics and outcomes (morbidity) of 442 patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis who are at different levels of nutritional risk. DESIGN: A retrospective, longitudinal, chart review. SETTING/SUBJECTS: An urban, outpatient hemodialysis unit in New York City. Subjects were stratified according to their number of nutritional risk factors: zero to one=low risk, two to three=moderate risk, four to six=high risk. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mean values for serum albumin <37 g/L, creatinine <884 micromol/L, total cholesterol <4.42 mmol/L, normalized protein nitrogen appearance <0.9 g/kg/day, weight change > -2.5 kg, and body mass index <24. Morbidity indicators were frequency and duration of hospitalizations. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and chi 2 analysis were used to summarize data and to analyze mean differences between the groups and differences in categorical variables, respectively. RESULTS: Compared with the high-risk group, the majority of subjects in the low-risk group were younger, male, and did not have diabetes; fewer had two or more comorbidities. The high-risk group had 75% more hospitalizations and spent 195% more days in the hospital than the low-risk group. CONCLUSIONS: Declining values of the nutritional risk factors and higher hospitalization rates were present in the high-risk group. Older subjects, those with diabetes, and those with two or more comorbidities comprised the majority of the high-risk group. More aggressive nutrition counseling and interventions may be needed for high-risk group members to determine if their risk for morbidity could be reduced.