How ″well″ are school districts doing? An analysis of wellness policies from school districts in the United States

Background. Local school districts participating in the National School Lunch Program were required by Congress to adopt a wellness policy by the first day of the school year following June 30, 2006, that included: (1) goals for nutrition education, physical activity, and other school-based activities; (2) nutrition guidelines for all foods available at school; (3) assurance that reimbursable school meal guidelines are not less restrictive than Federal regulations; (4) implementation plans; and (5) involvement of key stakeholders. Methodology. Wellness policies were collected from a nationally representative sample of 580 school districts throughout the U.S. via Web research and telephone/e-mail requests. Policies were obtained from 498 districts (86%); policies did not exist in 28 districts (5%). Policies were coded using a 96-item instrument developed by RWJF-supported Healthy Eating Research grantees. Findings: Preliminary data indicate that nearly 75% of the districts at least minimally addressed the required components; however, only approximately 33% detailed how they would meet each component. Many districts included implementation plans for policies with little substance. Larger districts with more resources tended to have more in-depth policies as compared to smaller districts. Bivariate analyses indicate that districts addressing all required components were significantly more likely to involve all required stakeholders (p<.001). Conclusions. The leeway afforded to districts in shaping their wellness policies has led to a tremendous variability in the nature and extent of such policies. Implications. Given the varied wellness policy approaches, the impact of such policies on improving student and staff wellness will vary greatly.