Northwest Arkansas Schools Offer Lower-Sodium Choices, More Fruits and Veggies

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The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Northwest partnered with two Northwest Arkansas school districts to implement Smarter Lunchrooms strategies. Smarter Lunchrooms provides low- or no-cost strategies based on behavioral economics principles to encourage students to choose and eat healthier foods.

To help implement these strategies, UAMS Northwest designed and developed trainings and resources for school nutrition staff with special focus on reducing sodium in the entrées and sides that they serve.

Public Health Challenge

High sodium intake is associated with high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease and stroke, the first and fourth leading causes of death in the United States. CDC reports that nearly 9 in 10 children consume more sodium than the recommended limit of 2,300 mg per day.¹ School nutrition is critical to child health and well-being because children ages 5–18 consume more than 50% of their daily caloric intake in schools; it is especially critical to low-income students, who tend to rely on school food more than others.

In two Northwest Arkansas school districts where 70% and 40% of students receive free or reduced-price meals, healthy school environments are crucial. Improving the school environment can improve long-term outcomes and risks for heart disease, particularly among children who are already at risk.

Approach

School lunch programs are important sites for nutrition interventions because many children rely on school lunches for their nutrition. UAMS Northwest partnered with two local school districts with a combined population of nearly 24,500 students to implement the Smarter Lunchrooms program, which encourages the use of free or low-cost evidence-based strategies to increase consumption of healthier foods and reduce food waste.

Smarter Lunchrooms was used as a foundation to begin engaging with school nutrition directors about simple ways to lower sodium in meals by introducing more fruits and vegetables. Schools used the Smarter Lunchrooms Scorecard to assess current offerings and make changes.

Results

UAMS Northwest engaged 34 schools from two districts to participate in Smarter Lunchrooms. UAMS conducted 16 trainings with school nutrition staff focused on strategies to reduce sodium in lunch entrées, arranging and displaying fruits and vegetables, and knife skills to cut fresh fruits and vegetables to be more appetizing. Food preparation was included in the trainings. For example, one training focused on how to make low sodium salsa using commonly purchased products, which corresponds to a Smarter Lunchrooms strategy of pairing raw vegetables with a low-fat option like salsa.

Additionally, packaged salads or salad bars are now available to students at participating schools, with accompanying signage to encourage healthier choices. From baseline to year 2, sodium was reduced by 8.2% per entrée offered and by 5.3% per entrée served.