Hyper-palatable foods in elementary school lunches: Availability and contributing factors in a national sample of US public schools.

BackgroundSchool cafeterias are a major point of influence for child nutrition. United States federal legislation requires the presence of important nutrients in school meals. However, legislation overlooks the potential presence of hyper-palatable foods in school lunches, a hypothesized factor that may influence children's eating behavior and obesity risk. The study sought to 1) quantify the prevalence of hyper-palatable foods (HPF) served in US elementary school lunches; and 2) determine whether food hyper-palatability varied based on school geographic region (East/Central/West), urbanicity (urban/micropolitan/rural), or meal item (entrée/side/fruit or vegetable).MethodsLunch menu data (N = 18 menus; N = 1160 total foods) were collected from a sample of six states that represented geographic regions of the United States (Eastern/Central/Western; Northern/Southern) and that had variability in urbanicity (urban, micropolitan, and rural) within each state. A standardized definition from Fazzino et al (2019) was used to identify HPF in lunch menus.ResultsHPF comprised almost half of foods in school lunches (M = 47%; SD = 5%). Compared to fruit/vegetable items, entrées were >23 times more likely to be hyper-palatable and side dishes were >13 times more likely to be hyper-palatable (p values .05). The majority of entrée and side items contained meat/meat alternatives and/or grains and likely aligned with the US federal reimbursable meal components of meat/meat alternatives and/or grains.Conclusions and implicationsHPF comprised almost half of foods offered in elementary school lunches. Entrées and side items were most likely to be hyper-palatable. US school lunches may be a key point of regular exposure to HPF among young children, a risk factor that may elevate child obesity risk. Public policy regulating HPF in school meals may be needed to protect children's health

560 Associations of human placental lactogen and oxytocin during pregnancy with maternal-fetal attachment, anxiety and depression

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The goals of the present study were to examine levels and potential changes in oxytocin and HPL over the course of pregnancy. We assessed the potential predictive value of oxytocin and HPL on maternal-fetal attachment, anxiety and depression at three timepoints during pregnancy. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Pregnant women (n=70) enrolled in a longitudinal, rolling protocol study. Eligibility criteria included 1) singleton pregnancy confirmed at early pregnancy screen (EPS) ultrasonography, 2) mother aged 19 or greater, and 3) fluent in English. Predictors (oxytocin and HPL levels) were measured via blood draws at the same three times (early-stage, mid-stage, and late-stage) that MFA, anxiety and depression questionnaires were completed. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: An increased OT level compared to a mother’s average OT level did not have a statistically significant effect on MFA (within-person estimate = 0.02, 95% CI: -0.03 to 0.05, p = 0.427. An increased HPL level compared to a patient’s average HPL level did not have a statistically significant effect on MFA (within-person estimate = -0.10, 95% CI: -0.67 to 0.47, p = 0.730). The main effect of between-person HPL was significant; such that a one-unit increase in average HPL level was associated with a 0.52 higher anxiety score (between-person 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.96, p = 0.022). The main effect of between-person HPL was significant, such that an increased average HPL level was associated with a 0.45 higher depression score (between-person estimate = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.86, p=0.031). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: To our knowledge, our study is the first to measure HPL and MFA over the course of a pregnancy. At this point, perhaps the best we can say is that HPL is a promising new target hormone that may be related to psychological symptoms surrounding pregnancy