Increasing Whole Grain Intake by School Children

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Despite considerable scientific evidence suggesting that whole grains reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease, children consume only one third of the recommended number of whole grain servings per day. The purpose of this study is to test the feasibility of increasing consumption and enhancing liking/acceptance of whole grain foods by elementary students through the use of an adaptation approach where whole grain content is gradually increased in dinner rolls and sandwich buns offered twice weekly over the course of a school year. The proposed study will test the hypothesis that students will have improved levels of consumption and liking/acceptance of the modified products at a higher level of whole grain content compared to baseline values. Consumption of refined and modified products will be determined via plate waste measurements. Incremental increases in whole grain flour content will be made when consumption levels are at 66-75 percent of baseline levels calculated for consumption of refined grain products. Taste tests will be conducted with a subset of students in grades three to six (n=100) at the beginning and end of the school year to assess changes in liking/acceptability of modified products. Costs of refined and modified products will be recorded and compared throughout the school year on a monthly basis. In preparation for a full-scale controlled intervention trial, we will also develop and test a) a protocol to collect 24 hour dietary recall data to estimate whole grain consumption, and b) a questionnaire to assess changes in psychosocial variables associated with intake of whole grain foods. This pilot study will provide a useful model for an intended full-scale study using a randomized community trial design with a larger number of schools. This research is unique because it utilizes an innovative strategy involving changes in whole grain product formulations that gradually increase whole grain content and allow students to adapt to increased whole grain content over time.