Context:
Excess sodium consumption increases the risk for hypertension, which is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. For children and teenagers, school meals are a significant source of sodium consumption.
Objective:
To describe the environmental change strategies that were implemented to reduce sodium in the school meals of a rural California school district.
Design:
Descriptions of the environmental strategies, with an emphasis on staff training and infrastructure improvements.
Setting:
School district of approximately two thousand 9th- to 12th-grade students in rural, northern California.
Participants:
School administration and food service staff at the 5 high schools in Anderson Union High School District.
Intervention:
Shasta County Public Health partnered with Anderson Union High School District to (1) facilitate changes to meal preparation practices, (2) improve cafeteria infrastructure, and (3) provide training and technical assistance to improve procurement strategies.
Results:
Environmental strategies to reduce sodium in school meals were implemented in 2011. Anderson Union High School District has continued to successfully implement scratch cooking and improve procurement strategies to reduce sodium in school meals.
Conclusion:
Using an approach that includes environmental change strategies can lead to sodium reduction in a school setting.