Vi upplever att hälsa är något som samhället anammar mycket just nu och det ges ut mer kokböcker än någonsin. Du ska äta rätt, röra dig rätt och gärna genom någon speciell metod. Vår tanke går då till skolorna och vad eleverna får för mat serverad där. Vi har gjort kvalitativa intervjuer med matmor i två olika skolor och fem pedagoger från fyra olika skolor för att få fram vilka riktlinjer som finns och hur en lunch i matsalen fungerar. Vi har även observerat matsalssituationer i samma skolor som vi intervjuat matmor i, för att få en bredare förståelse för vad som sker under en skollunch. Vår frågeställning har fokuserats kring ansvar och riktlinjer, frågorna till pedagogerna har varit riktade mot deras åsikter om maten och om pedagogiska måltider är något som existerar. Resultatet visar att matmor har huvudansvaret men att rektor beslutar om ekonomin. Pedagogerna gillar att äta gratis men upplever inte några pedagogiska måltider. Det enda som står i skollagen om luncher är att skolan ska erbjuda kostnadsfria skolmåltider. Resultatet av observationerna visar att det finns två måltidsdrycker, det serveras två rätter samt den vuxna närvaron i matsalen är hög.

Bakgrund Den vuxna befolkningen tillbringar en stor del av sin vakna tid på arbetet och situationen där har en ansenlig inverkan på energiintag och energiförbrukning. Bra kosthållning är viktigt för de anställdas hälsa och säkerhet och kan leda till minskad sjukfrånvaro och färre olyckor. Syfte Att utforma kostråd och måltidsförslag gällande maten på arbetet till anställda inom väg- och anläggningsarbete vid Svevia. Råden och förslagen skulle baseras på de anställdas intresse respektive kunskap kring kost, samt anpassas till hur måltiderna och måltidsförhållanden på arbetsplatsen såg ut. Metod En enkätstudie med 200 slumpmässigt utvalda arbetare genomfördes för att få en bild av de anställdas kostkunskaper och måltidsförhållanden på arbetet. Vid utarbetandet av kostråden och kostinformationen samlades fakta in från böcker och Internet. Framtagna måltidförslag näringsberäknades, provlagades och bedömdes utifrån smak, konsistens, utseende, tillagningsförfarande, kvalitet efter frysning och återuppvärmning samt portionsstorlek. Totalt provlagades 15 rätter. Resultat Enkätresultatet vägdes in vid framtagandet av kostråden och måltidsförslagen. Måltidsförslagen samlades i en receptfolder, kostråden sammanställdes på planscher och mer detaljerad kostinformation på ett faktablad. De flesta respondenter bedömde sina kost- och matlagningskunskaper som varken små eller stora. Hemlagad matlåda var det vanligaste lunchalternativet och viktigast vid valet av mat att ta med var matens lämplighet att återuppvärma och dess smak. Sex personer hade inte tillgång till någon köksutrustning på arbetet. Arbetarnas lunchraster var 30 minuter långa. Slutsats Majoriteten av arbetarna hade måttliga kostkunskaper och en vilja att minska i vikt. Det vanligaste lunchalternativet var hemlagad matlåda. Näringsriktiga måltidsförslag, kostråd och kostinformation anpassade för målgruppen togs fram. För att förbättra de anställdas måltidssituation räcker inte kostråd och måltidsförslag, utan Svevia bör även se över lunchrasternas längd och säkerställa att anställda har tillgång till godkända matutrymmen.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rutgers University, 2009. / "Graduate Program in Food Science." Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-104).

Background: The relationship between fruit and vegetable (FV) exposure, preference, and consumption among children has been a targeted topic of study due to the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity. The purpose of this study was to examine FV home exposure in elementary children and the selection of both fruits and vegetables and less familiar lunch entrées at school. Design: Cross-sectional data on 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students (N=59) from an elementary school in central Texas. Methods: Home and school FV exposure was collected via self-report using a six-item questionnaire. Students were placed into high and low groups for 1) the variety of FV offered at home, and 2) the variety of FV eaten at home. Absolute and relative ratings of eight lunch entrées were collected through taste-tests conducted at school. Results: Differences in the consumption of FV at school and the selection of lunch entrées between high and low groups were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U independent non-parametric tests. Results indicated that the distribution of consumption at school differed across high and low groups for parental offering of FV for: oranges (z=2.16, p<0.05), cucumber (z=2.44, p<0.05), pineapple (z=3.41, p=0.001), mandarin oranges (z=2.93, p<0.01), tomato (z=3.14, p<0.01), and broccoli (z=3.26, p=0.001). The distribution of consumption at school across high and low groups for the eating FV at home was significant for 10 out of the 11 FV items: oranges (z=2.24, p<0.05), cucumber (z=2.64, p<0.01), pineapple (z=4.19, p<.001), mandarin oranges (z=3.06, p<0.01), tomatoes (z=3.47, p=0.001), bell pepper (z=2.25, p<0.05), broccoli (z=4.00, p<0.001), melon (z=3.06, p<0.01), apples (z=2.79, p<0.01), and zucchini (z=2.27, p<0.05) Likewise, significant differences between high and low groups for parental offering of FV were found for the selection of the chef salad (z=2.546, p<0.05), the Greek salad (z=2.091, p<0.05), and the veggie humus plate (z=2.104, p<0.05). Absolute and relative ratings of eight lunch entrées are also reported. Conclusions: Children who are more frequently exposed to FV at home consume a wider variety FV at school and are more likely to select healthy, less familiar entrées at school lunch. / text

The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare Indiana school menus, wellness policies, nutrient analyses, and demographics to the 2009 Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations to explore associations between school characteristics and achievement of the IOM recommendations for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The results of this study provide information and baseline data for school corporations. Results indicated that only 57% of school menus met the saturated fat recommendation, less than half met the trans fat recommendations and no school met the sodium recommendation. Intakes of fats and sodium were not significantly correlated with the variety or amount of fruits and vegetables served (p>0.05). The results suggest that past efforts to improve nutrient content of meals served through the NSLP have been successful. However, lunch menus should be targeted for additional assessment and intervention. / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

Thesis, PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, August, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 313-334)

Obesity and overweight attributable deaths together are the second highest cause of death in the United States, according to the National Institute of Health. Obesity, diabetes, and heart disease also have an enormous economic cost to the American government and its citizens due to the rising cost of health care. The medical community agrees that preventive care, particularly diet, plays a crucial role in solving this health crisis. The Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 drastically changed the requirements of the National School Lunch Program in order to increase nutrition in school lunches. This thesis seeks to understand how improved health outcomes for children as well as adults. This paper analyzes previous research from the fields of Health and Behavioral Economics. It also conducts an empirical analysis of data from the California Health Interview Survey to understand the effects of the policy food on consumption of children and adults. Using theories from Behavioral Economics, the study hypothesizes that child and adult consumption of nutritious food increased following the implementation of this policy. The results of the empirical analysis do not entirely support the hypothesis that children’s and adult’s consumption of nutritious food increased. Food consumption is highly sensitive to a wide range of influences, and further empirical research accounting for these influences must be conducted to fully understand the potential benefits of public policy on health.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF EMILY ROMANOWSKI, for the Master's of Science degree in FOOD AND NUTRITION, presented on NOVEMBER 25, 2013, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: THE IMPACT OF TASTE TEST INTERVENTIONS ON THE REDUCTION OF VEGETABLE PLATE WASTE IN A RURAL MIDDLE SCHOOL SETTING MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Sylvia Smith BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity is on the rise in the United States and throughout the world. Studies have shown that reducing vegetable plate waste and increasing vegetable consumption in children can improve health outcomes. Studies have also suggested strategies to reduce the amount of plate waste that children produce during lunchtime. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a nutrition education and taste test intervention would reduce plate waste of select vegetables in a middle school setting. DESIGN: The study used an experimental design. The study took place at an elementary school in the rural Midwest during the third and fourth quarters of the 2012-2013 school year. Plate waste measurements were originally taken for four specific vegetable items: zucchini and tomatoes, refried beans, mixed greens and black bean salsa. After the original measurements, students enrolled in a Family Consumer Sciences class during the third quarter participated in an intervention that involved nutrition education and tasting the specific vegetables. During the fourth quarter, plate waste measurements were taken again to determine if the nutrition education with taste tests helped to decrease the amount of plate waste produced by the students. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The independent variable being tested was participation in the taste tests with nutrition education intervention. The dependent variable being studied was the amount of vegetable based plate waste from Carbondale Middle School students. STATISTIAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Independent t-tests were used to determine statistical differences in the amount of plate waste pre- and post-intervention. The survey given after the taste test was assessed using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test to determine if one vegetable item was liked more than another. RESULTS: Results showed that the implemented nutrition intervention was not effective in reducing the amount of plate waste. There was a significant difference, however, in the opinions given by the students regarding the vegetables served (p=<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings are important in the implementation of new National School Lunch Program recommendations for vegetables and can provide insight on how to increase the amount of vegetables that students eat during school. This study can add to current research regarding plate waste, vegetable consumption, and strategies to increase healthful foods in children's diets.

To better understand why machine learning works, we cast learning problems as searches and characterize what makes searches successful. We prove that any search algorithm can only perform well on a narrow subset of problems, and show the effects of dependence on raising the probability of success for searches. We examine two popular ways of understanding what makes machine learning work, empirical risk minimization and compression, and show how they fit within our search frame-work. Leveraging the “dependence-first” view of learning, we apply this knowledge to areas of unsupervised time-series segmentation and automated hyperparameter optimization, developing new algorithms with strong empirical performance on real-world problem classes.