Small Changes to Cafeteria Design Can Get Kids to Eat Healthier, New Assessment Tool Finds

Presented by Office of Public Affairs and Communications

While a growing body of research suggests that small changes to a school environment can help reduce childhood obesity and improve nutrition, 80 percent of school-aged children still fall short of national dietary guidelines for fruit and vegetable intake.

New research from the University of Notre Dame suggests ways to approach this problem in elementary school cafeterias, especially for high-risk and underserved student populations.

Kim Rollings, assistant professor of architecture and psychology at Notre Dame, in collaboration with Nancy Wells, professor of design and environmental analysis at Cornell University, recently published the Cafeteria Assessment for Elementary Schools (CAFES) in BMC Public Health. Developed by Rollings and Wells, the CAFES tool scores elementary school cafeteria environments, suggesting improvements that promote healthier eating. Many strategies are low- or no-cost.