Table 4.
Effect of the Nova Scotia Food and Nutrition Policy on dietary behaviors, dietary intakes, and weight status among grade 5 students attending public schools between 2003 and 2011.a
| Outcome | 2003 | 2011 | Pb | Unadjusted changec | Adjusted changed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dietary behaviors | PR (95% CI) | PR (95% CI) | |||
| Eat breakfast | 95.3% | 94.9% | 0.400 | 0.99 (0.99, 1.00) | 0.99 (0.98, 1.00) |
| Bring a prepared lunch from home | 59.1% | 79.3% | < 0.001 | 1.35 (1.20, 1.52) | 1.33 (1.19, 1.50) |
| Buy lunch at school | 17.3% | 12.8% | 0.003 | 0.69 (0.58, 0.82) | 0.67 (0.48, 0.92) |
| Supper at table with others | 72.4% | 73.0% | 0.618 | 1.00 (0.98, 1.03) | 0.98 (0.96, 1.01) |
| Supper in front of the TV | 56.1% | 60.9% | < 0.001 | 1.10 (1.05, 1.15) | 1.13 (1.07, 1.18) |
| Eat at fast food restaurant | 49.6% | 40.8% | < 0.001 | 0.84 (0.76, 0.91) | 0.84 (0.77, 0.92) |
| Dietary intakes | β (95% CI) | β (95% CI) | |||
| Mean servings of fruits & vegetables per day | 5.20 | 5.23 | 0.596 | 0.01 (− 0.16, 0.18) | − 0.08 (− 0.27, 0.19) |
| Mean servings of grain products per day | 4.68 | 4.99 | < 0.001 | 0.29 (0.19, 0.39) | 0.26 (0.17, 0.34) |
| Mean servings of milk products per day | 3.23 | 3.54 | < 0.001 | 0.31 (0.25, 0.37) | 0.24 (0.18, 0.31) |
| Mean servings of meat & alternatives per day | 1.52 | 1.59 | < 0.001 | 0.06 (0.03, 0.09) | 0.06 (0.03, 0.09) |
| Mean soda intake (cans or glasses/day) | 0.44 | 0.27 | < 0.001 | − 0.16 (− 0.19, − 0.13) | − 0.09 (− 0.11, − 0.06) |
| Mean sugar-sweetened beverages (non-diet soda, fruit juices, and sweetened tea cans or glasses/day) | 0.99 | 0.62 | < 0.001 | − 0.34 (− 0.41, − 0.26) | − 0.20 (− 0.27, − 0.12) |
| Mean dietary energy intake (kcal) per day | 2151 | 1887 | < 0.001 | − 267.15 (− 323.62, − 210.69) | − 248.52 (− 301.21, − 195.83) |
| Mean DQI score | 62.0 | 63.0 | < 0.001 | 0.71 (0.39, 1.04) | 1.80 (1.33, 2.27) |
| Weight status | PR (95% CI) | PR (95% CI) | |||
| Overweight (excl obese)e | 23.1 | 22.6 | 0.625 | 1.01 (0.92, 1.09) | 1.03 (0.94, 1.12) |
| Obesef | 9.8 | 10.9 | 0.020 | 1.15 (0.95, 1.39) | 1.26 (1.08, 1.48) |
Multilevel models with clustering of students within schools within school boards.
P-values derived using the Rao–Scott Chi-square or t-test where appropriate.
Change in public schools over time between 2003 and 2011/significant results highlighted in bold font.
Models adjusting for the potential confounding effects of gender, household income, parental education, and place of residency. Students from public schools that did not participate in both years of the study were excluded from the regression analysis. Dietary outcomes were further adjusted for energy intake. Prevalence ratio (PR) from Poisson random effect models with robust variance assessing the effect of FNP on binary outcomes (i.e. dietary behaviors and weight status) and β coefficients are derived from linear random effect models assessing the effect of FNP on continuous outcomes (i.e. dietary intake and DQI score).
Overweight (excluding obese) compared to normal weight. Students without height and weight measurements for BMI calculations were excluded from the analysis.
Obese compared to normal weight. Students without height and weight measurements for BMI calculations were excluded from the analysis.