Results of evaluability assessments of local wellness policies in 6 US school districts.

BACKGROUND: A US federal mandate that school districts devise and implement local wellness policies (LWPs) has potential widespread impact on the nutritional content of foods and beverages available in schools and on the amount of physical activity that students engage in; however, evidence concerning the mandate's effectiveness is limited. This study describes the content of LWPs of 6 US school districts and steps taken toward their implementation and evaluation. METHODS: During visits to 6 school districts, we interviewed 88 school and community representatives about the content of their district's LWPs and how the LWPs were being implemented and evaluated. RESULTS: The 6 LWPs were consistent with the federal mandate, although they varied in content and degree of specificity, and none had been fully implemented. All 6 districts were pursuing strategies to ensure that foods and beverages available at school met nutrition standards but did not offer nutrition education to all K-12 students. All 6 districts offered students only limited opportunities for physical activity, and all 6 collected data to monitor process and outcomes of their LWPs. CONCLUSIONS: Partial implementation of LWPs in the districts we visited resulted in significant improvement in the nutritional quality of foods available at district schools, but only slight improvement in students' opportunities for school-based physical activity. We provide recommendations for school districts on implementation and evaluation. Future research is needed to determine the impact of these LWPs on students' health.

Establishing a baseline measure of school wellness-related policies implemented in a nationally representative sample of school districts.

The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 required school districts to establish a local school wellness policy by the first day of the 2006-2007 school year. To provide a baseline measure of the extent to which wellness-related policies were implemented in school districts nationwide in 2006, this study analyzed data from the 2006 School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS). SHPPS used a cross-sectional design to measure policies and practices among a nationally representative sample of 538 public school districts. The authors applied a standardized wellness policy coding system to the data by matching each element to relevant questions from SHPPS and calculated the percentage of school districts meeting each element in the coding system. Statistical analyses included calculation of 95% confidence intervals for percentages and mean number of elements met in each area. In 2006, none of the districts met all elements included in the coding system for local wellness policies. In addition, the percentage of districts meeting each element varied widely. On average, districts met the greatest number of elements in the area of nutrition education and the least number of elements in the area of physical activity. By applying a coding system for district policies to an existing dataset, this study used a novel approach to determine areas of strength and weakness in the implementation of local school wellness-related policies in 2006.

Nutrition services and foods and beverages available at school: results from the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2006.

BACKGROUND: Schools are in a unique position to promote healthy dietary behaviors and help ensure appropriate nutrient intake. This article describes the characteristics of both school nutrition services and the foods and beverages sold outside of the school meals program in the United States, including state- and district-level policies and school practices. METHODS: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts the School Health Policies and Programs Study every 6 years. In 2006, computer-assisted telephone interviews or self-administered mail questionnaires were completed by state education agency personnel in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and among a nationally representative sample of school districts (n=445). Computer-assisted personal interviews were conducted with personnel in a nationally representative sample of elementary, middle, and high schools (n=944). RESULTS: Few states required schools to restrict the availability of deep-fried foods, to prohibit the sale of foods that have low nutrient density in certain venues, or to make healthful beverages available when beverages were offered. While many schools sold healthful foods and beverages outside of the school nutrition services program, many also sold items high in fat, sodium, and added sugars. CONCLUSIONS: Nutrition services program practices in many schools continue to need improvement. Districts and schools should implement more food preparation practices that reduce the total fat, saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar content of school meals. In addition, opportunities to eat and drink at school should be used to encourage greater daily consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nonfat or low-fat dairy products.