TABLE 4.
Frequency of dietary instruments used and types of dietary outcomes used to assess dietary intakes in the school context (n = 47 studies)1
| Meal recalls | Estimated FRs | FFQs | Weighed FRs | MOs | DP | SFC | |
| All studies,2 n = 47 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 2 |
| Studies using specific analytical methods to measure in-school dietary intakes | |||||||
| Multiple dietary components,2 n = 44 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 2 |
| Dietary components,3 n | 17 (1–58) | 28 (19–64) | 11 (7–19) | 17 (1–34) | 13 (1–27) | 8 (1–26) | 20 (13–26) |
| Macronutrients, amounts and/or densities, n = 22 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Energy density, n = 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Micronutrients, amounts and/or densities, n = 19 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Fruit and/or vegetable intake exclusively, n = 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Food groups,4 n = 32 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Composite diet quality index, n = 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Values are number of studies unless otherwise indicated. DP, digital photography; FR, food record; MO, meal observation; SFC, school food checklist.
Some studies used >1 instrument so the row total does not match the number of studies reviewed. Two studies used 2 instruments to assess overall diet quality in the school context.
Values are mean (range) number of dietary components among studies.
These studies included a wide range of food group outcomes. Outcomes were expressed as the proportion of children consuming specific types of food groups and/or amount in servings of specific food groups. Some studies also reported on either frequency of intake of absolute intake of food groups considered minimally nutritious, such as sugar-sweetened beverages; low-nutrient energy dense foods; fast foods; desserts, pastries, and confections; and minimally nutritious packaged snacks.