Sodexo

Allentown Internship
Summary for Patients




The Summary for Patients is
intended for patients to
better understand the
complicated and often
mystifying language of
modern medicine.


Summaries for Patients are
presented for informational
purposes only. These
summaries are not a
substitute for advice from
your own medical provider.
If you have questions about
this material, or need
medical advice about your
own health or situation,
please contact your
physician.



The full report is titled
Tandon, Pooja S., Jeffrey
Wright, Chuan Zhou, Cara Beth
Rogers, and Dimitri A.
Christakis. "Nutrition menu
labeling may lead to lower-
calorie restaurant meal choices
for children." Pediatrics 125, no.
2 (2010): 244-248.


This summary was written
by
Rachel Ulp
Sodexo Dietetic Intern

And was reviewed by
Robert Zurfluh RDN, and
Alison Reyes, MS, RD
March 2014



What is the problem and what is known about it so far?
In todays society eating a well-balanced, healthy diet can be a struggle. Depending
on where you live nutritious foods may be hard to find whether you are in a city or a
very rural area. In addition, many people lack the proper equipment and knowledge
about basic cooking techniques. Eating outside of the home has grown in popularity
and has become commonplace for a lot of people across the United States. Parallel
to this shift of eating out is our growing obesity epidemic which is now affecting our
younger generation.

Why did the researchers do this particular study?
This study focused on whether nutrition labeling on a fast food chains menu would
result in lower-calorie meal choices made by parents for their young children.

Who was studied?
The study took place in a Seattle, Washington primary care clinic. Ninety-nine parents
of children between 3 to 6 years of age were asked to participate with one of their
young children. Families who were not included were those who never ate fast food,
were non-English speaking, or who had a child that was too sick to participate.

How was the study done?
Those who participated were divided into two groups, given a McDonalds picture
menu and asked to specify what they would order for themselves and for their child if
their next meal was at McDonalds. The menus offered the majority of items sold at
McDonalds including sandwiches, hamburgers, fries, salads, drinks, Happy Meals,
desserts and any sauces that they may request with their meal. The first group had
nutrition information listed next to the menu item and the second group did not.

What did the researchers find?
The researchers found a positive relationship between calories ordered for the parent
and calories ordered for the child This means that parents who ordered higher calorie
foods for themselves were also the parents who ordered the meals with the most
calories for their children. Parents in the group with the nutrition information ordered
an average of 102 calories fewer for their children than did those in the other group.
The nutrition-labeled menu reduced calories ordered by 20%.

What were the limitations of the study?
A limitation of this study was the fact that the parents had ample time to review the
McDonalds menu and make their selections. Typically, fast food purchases are made
very quickly and often on impulse. Another limitation was that over half of the
participants were Caucasian mothers with more than a high school diploma. It would
have been beneficial to include a variety of backgrounds and those with varying
degrees of education. Also, it was quite a small group of parents which may affect
how reliable the results were.

What are the implications of the study?
This study suggests that providing nutritional information on fast-food menus will
cause parents to think twice about what they are purchasing for their children and
encourage them to make healthier choices. However, parents must want to make
these changes and truly care about promoting a healthier lifestyle for their children.



Could a Nutrition Label Keep Your Kids Lighter?