PERSPECTIVES ON THE SCHOOL NUTRITION DIETARY ASSESSMENT STUDY FROM THE CHILD AND ADOLESCENT TRIAL FOR CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH

The School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study provides current data on the nutritional quality and adequacy of the National School Lunch Pro gram (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) as well as on the d ietary intakes of students participating in these programs. The study demonstrates that the NSLP and SBP meals and children's total diets do not conform to the recommendations of the US Department of Agricultur e and the National Research Council and confirms the need to improve t he nutritional quality of the nation's school meal program and student 's overall dietary intakes. In this regard, the Child and Adolescent T rial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) is the first collaborative, sch ool-based field trial that tests the effectiveness of a multilevel int ervention designed to reduce the fat, saturated fat, and sodium conten t of school meals and student's diets. This commentary highlights the findings and questions raised by the School Nutrition Dietary Assessme nt Study and presents an overview of CATCH, including the implications and significant questions that can be addressed by this intervention study.