Creating a model for wellness policy implementation at the school site level: The OUSD Wellness Champion Initiative

Background: Despite adoption of a comprehensive policy, the lack of personnel dedicated to wellness within schools has prevented true implementation of Oakland Unified School District's (OUSD) Wellness Policy. In this large, urban CA school district, school staff have a commitment to student health, but a range of competing priorities prevent them from addressing wellness. Program Design: The OUSD Wellness Champion Initiative aims to reduce obesity among OUSD youth by creating school environments that promote healthy eating, physical activity and wellness. Five participating schools receive up to $50,000/year for five years. Wellness champions at each school engage parents, teachers and administrators through school site Wellness Councils and students through youth leadership activities. The school-based health center coordinates activities – positioning the health center as an integral player in promoting student health to further academic achievement. Program evaluation: Process evaluation captures the activities conducted, achievements, and challenges faced. Impact evaluation captures engagement of the school community, environmental changes, and tracks data related to student eating and physical activity. Discussion: This Initiative serves as a model for implementing wellness policies at the school level. The experience of the schools funded under this initiative will provide many important lessons and best practices regarding ability of school-site staff to coordinate wellness activities, role of the school-based health centers in integrating wellness activities into the daily workings of the school, and degree to which a school community is able to mobilize to initiate improvements to the school food and physical activity environment.