Association between school nutrition policies and food and beverages offerings in low-income Michigan middle schools

Schools provide an opportunity to positively impact the dietary habits and health of children. This study investigated the association between school nutrition policies and the food and beverage offerings in low-income Michigan middle schools taking part in the SNAK (School Nutrition Advances Kids) Project, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Healthy Eating Research Program. Principals from 30 SNAK schools completed the School Environment and Policy Survey (SEPS), which gathered information regarding school nutrition policies and availability of foods and beverages in various school venues. Items from the SEPS were used to create a scale reflecting the magnitude and enforcement of school nutrition policies. The school nutrition policy scale were compared with a qualitative assessment of school wellness policies to assess validity. Foods and beverages were categorized into healthy and unhealthy options, and scales were created to reflect these two categorizations. The relationship between school nutrition policy score, and healthy and unhealthy food and beverage scales were examined. School nutrition policy scores were significantly positively correlated with the healthy food/beverage scale but not with the unhealthy food/beverage scale. Associations between the school nutrition policy score and the school wellness policy assessment will be presented. In this sample of low-income middle schools, magnitude and enforcement of school nutrition policies was associated with the number of healthy food and beverages offered, but not with the number of unhealthy options. To be effective, school nutrition policies may need to emphasize decreasing unhealthy options as well as increasing the healthy options available to students.