(P19-05-26) The Association Between Student Factors and Objective Fruit and Vegetable and Milk Consumption: A Latent Class Analysis

Objectives: Previous studies report a relationship between FV and milk consumption in children. Understanding this relationship across sociodemographic subgroups can support targeted interventions to improve a child’s FV and milk consumption. This study aimed to conduct a latent class analysis (LCA) among school students and understand their association with FV consumption to better guide future interventions.

Methods: This cross-sectional, secondary analysis used baseline data (n=3,986) from a cluster-randomized controlled trial that explored the efficacy of using school lunch to promote FV consumption among students participating in the National School Lunch Program in Arizona (2017-2021). FV intake was assessed by objective plate waste methods (pre-weight - post-weight). Milk type was classified based on opened vs unopened and plain vs flavored. Sociodemographic information was provided by the school. Predictor variables included in the LCA were sex, race/ethnicity, paid or free/reduced meals, school, and milk type. A zero-inflated negative binomial regression was conducted to investigate the association between the classes and FV consumption, adjusting for day of the week, salad dressing, and school-level clustering.

Results: The four-class model showed the best fit (AIC = 32535/ BIC = 32780). The latent groups identified were: Class 1 (18%; elementary/ middle school, flavored milk open, other race,  paid meal), Class 2 (48%; elementary/ middle school, flavored milk open, Hispanic, free reduced), Class 3 (23%; high school, milk not selected, Hispanic, free reduced meal), and Class 4 (11%; high school, milk not selected, other race, paid for meal). In adjusted models compared to Class 4, Class 1 (1.13 aOR; 95% CI 0.76;1.69), Class 2 (1.59 aOR; 95% CI 1.11;2.27), and Class 3 (1.69 aOR; 95% CI 1.16;2.47) had significantly higher FV consumption.

Conclusions: This study identified four classes of latent groups, and class membership was a significant predictor of FV consumption.  These findings implicate the need for tailored interventions to increase FV consumption.

Funding Sources: Research reported in this abstract was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (MPIs: Bruening & Adams) and the National Dairy Council.