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Students for Nutrition and Exercise (SNaX)

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Students for Nutrition and Exercise (SNaX) is a pilot program that encourages healthy eating and daily physical activity among students attending middle school in California.

SNaX works with the entire school community to create an environment that promotes healthy eating decisions. The SNaX intervention is presented in five one-week programs: (1) healthy beverages, (2) cafeteria options, (3) benefits of a healthy diet, (4) physical activity, and (5) understanding media messages. Each week, 25 students from a health class are asked to become peer advocates. On Tuesdays, these students meet with a trainer during lunchtime and learn about various nutrition and physical activity topics. Then, on Wednesdays, peer leaders work on their counseling skills so that they can teach classmates what they have learned.

SNaX also worked with a graphic designer to create posters that encourage students to eat healthy and be physically active. Posters highlight daily menu items and include their calorie counts. In addition, a tasting station is set up where students can try healthy foods.

Goal / Mission

The goal of Students for Nutrition and Exercise is to encourage healthy eating and daily physical activity in middle school students.

Impact

The SNaX program shows that programs which train peer advocates to encourage healthy eating and daily physical activity in students can serve to benefit those trained as peer advocates after the intervention.

Results / Accomplishments

Among peer advocates, cafeteria attitudes (a measurement of satisfaction students had with their cafeteria) improved significantly over time (p=0.003). Intervention school students reduced their intake of sugar-sweetened beverages. Before the intervention, one-third of peer advocates and non-peer advocates drank sports and fruit drinks, but after the intervention, only 21% of peer advocates (p=0.03) and 26% of non-peer advocates consumed these beverages.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
UCLA/RAND Center for Adolescent Health Promotion
Primary Contact
Burt Cowgill
UCLA Cancer Prevention & Control Res/FSPH & JCCC
BOX 956900, A2-125 CHS
Los Angeles, CA 90095
310.794.3569
bcowgill@ucla.edu
http://goodfood.ucla.edu/k-12-school-food-resource...
Topics
Health / Physical Activity
Health / Adolescent Health
Organization(s)
UCLA/RAND Center for Adolescent Health Promotion
Date of publication
Aug 2010
Geographic Type
Urban
For more details
Target Audience
Teens
Michigan Health Improvement Alliance