From Policy to Practice: Addressing Snack Quality, Consumption, and Price in After-School Programs

Objective: To evaluate a community partnership between after-school programs (ASPs) and grocery stores to provide discounted pricing on snacks to meet the National Afterschool Association Healthy Eating Standards that call for serving a fruit or vegetable (FV) daily while eliminating sugar-based foods and beverages. Methods: A single-group, pretest with multiple posttest design (spring, 2011-2013) in 4 large-scale ASPs serving 500 children/d was used, along with direct observation of snacks served, consumed, and cost. Results: At baseline, FV, sugar-sweetened beverages, and desserts were served 0.1 +/- 0.5, 1.7 +/- 2.0, and 2.0 +/- 1.4 d/wk. By spring, 2013, FV increased to 5.0 +/- 0.0 d/wk, whereas sugar-sweetened beverages and desserts were eliminated. A total of 84% of children consumed the fruit; 59% consumed the vegetables. Cost associated with purchasing snacks resulted in a $2,000-$3,000 savings over a standard 180-day school year. Conclusions and Implications: This partnership can serve as a model for successfully meeting nutrition policies established for ASP snacks.