Using Skin Carotenoids to Assess Dietary Changes in Students After 1 Academic Year of Participating in the Shaping Healthy Choices Program

Lori M Beccarelli; Rachel E Scherr; Madan Dharmar; Igor V Ermakov; Werner Gellermann; Lisa Jahns; Jessica D Linnell; Carl L Keen; Francene M Steinberg; Heather M Young; Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr

doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2016.09.007

Using Skin Carotenoids to Assess Dietary Changes in Students After 1 Academic Year of Participating in the Shaping Healthy Choices Program

J Nutr Educ Behav. 2017 Jan;49(1):73-78.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2016.09.007. Epub 2016 Oct 26.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA; Center for Nutrition in Schools, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA.
² Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA; Center for Nutrition in Schools, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA. Electronic address: rescherr@ucdavis.edu.
³ Department of Pediatrics, University of California Davis Health System, Sacramento, CA; Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, University of California Davis Health System, Sacramento, CA.
⁴ Image Technologies Corporation, Salt Lake City, UT.
⁵ US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, Grand Forks, ND.
⁶ Family and Community Health, Extension Service-Tillamook and Lincoln Counties, Oregon State University, Tillamook, OR.
⁷ Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA; University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Davis, CA; Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA.
⁸ Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA; University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Davis, CA.
⁹ Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, University of California Davis Health System, Sacramento, CA.
¹⁰ Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA; Center for Nutrition in Schools, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA; University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Davis, CA.

PMID: 28341018
DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2016.09.007

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether fourth-grade students participating in the Shaping Healthy Choices Program (SHCP), a school-based nutrition intervention, would change vegetable and carotenoid intake measured by skin carotenoids and dietary intake.

Methods: Single-group pretest-posttest with a self-selected, convenience sample of students (n = 30) participating in the SHCP, which lasted 1 academic year (9 months). Dietary intake of vegetables and carotenoids as measured by Block food frequency questionnaire and skin carotenoids as measured by Raman spectroscopy were collected at the school preintervention and postintervention.

Results: Reported carotenoid intake decreased by 1.5 mg (P = .05) and skin carotenoids decreased by 2,247.9 RRS intensity units (P = .04). Change in reported intake correlated with change in skin carotenoids (r = .43; P = .02).

Conclusions and implications: The reported decrease in vegetable and carotenoid intake was unanticipated; nevertheless, the RRS measurements confirmed this. RRS data can help evaluate changes in fruit and vegetable intake.

Keywords: dietary assessment; garden; nutrition education; school nutrition; skin carotenoids; vegetable.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

California
Carotenoids / analysis*
Child
Feeding Behavior / physiology*
Female
Health Behavior / physiology*
Health Promotion / methods*
Humans
Male
Skin / chemistry*
Students / statistics & numerical data
Vegetables

Substances

Carotenoids