Fueling Military Nutrition: Insights From Go for Green® Pilot Studies

Similar to the American public, U.S. service members have challenges in meeting public health guidelines for nutrient-dense foods, practicing supportive eating behaviors, and achieving optimal body composition in a less-than-ideal food environment. The Department of War's Go for Green® (G4G) nutrition program was developed for military dining facilities to increase availability, access, and awareness of nutritious foods and beverages. Researchers conducted six pilot studies across a variety of military branches, components (active duty, trainee, National Guard), and food venues (cafeteria-style dining facility, snack bar, convenience store) to assess the delivery of targeted program requirements (PRs). Pre- and post-intervention scores, as determined by the G4G Program Fidelity Assessment tool, evaluated each site's success with targeting at least two of eight G4G PRs. PRs were also grouped into strategies: training, menu revision, food promotion, choice architecture, and marketing and education. Pre-intervention scores ranged from 0% to 100%. Post-intervention, sites earned a passing score for an average of 66% of targeted PRs. Food and beverage coding was the most targeted PR (four of six sites). In addition, all six sites targeted menu revisions as an intervention strategy. Cafeteria-style venues were most likely to target training, marketing, and education-related strategies. Study results show military food venues provide ample opportunity for targeted and varied strategies to support nutrient-dense eating patterns. Worksites and college campuses can benefit from research and translated knowledge gained in military settings to optimize the delivery of nutrition inventions in food venues to benefit overall health.