Comparison of foods and beverages served and consumed in Child and Adult Care Food Program-participating childcare centres to national guidelines.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) sets minimum nutrition and portion size standards for meals served in participating childcare programs. CACFP has been associated with more nutritious meals served. It is unclear, however, whether CACFP results in children's dietary intake being aligned with national recommendations. We assess whether children's dietary intake in CACFP-participating childcare centres meets benchmarks set by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).

Design

This is a cross-sectional study. We used direct observation to estimate quantities of foods/beverages served and consumed per child. Mean amounts served per child per day were compared with CACFP portion size requirements for each component (fruits, vegetables, milk and meat/

SUBMITTER: Mozaffarian RS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10478045 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature