Local wellness policies in Massachusetts: Do they make the grade?

INTRODUCTION: As of July 2006, all school districts participating in federal meal programs were required to create Local Wellness Policies covering 7 areas, including nutrition education, physical activity, and nutrition guidelines. Others have analyzed national samples of these policies, but data on Massachusetts districts were lacking. METHODS: An internet search strategy was used to retrieve a sample of local wellness policies from operating, non-charter, public school districts serving grades K-12. Retrieved policies were analyzed by length, detail, and required element inclusion. Schools were stratified by enrollment and low-income student percentages. Descriptive analyses were performed to identify non-posted and incomplete policy characteristics. RESULTS: There were 208 districts (covering 88% of K-12 students in Massachusetts) that met inclusion criteria. A total of 78 wellness policies were located and reviewed. Lengths ranged from 0.5 to 35.1 pages (mean = 6.5). Comparing districts with policies posted to districts without, there were no significant differences in enrollment or percentage of low-income students. Little more than half of posted policies (59%) covered all 7 requirements. Most policies (97%) mentioned nutrition guidelines for all foods on campus. However, detailed guidelines, such as allowable beverages and competitive foods, portion sizes, and permissibility of food rewards, were included in only 55% of policies reviewed. DISCUSSION: Only about half of reviewed policies covered all 7 elements required by law. Most of the reviewed policies included nutrition guidelines, but often these gave little specific guidance to schools. More could be done to meet both the letter and spirit of the law.