Youth-led research and change initiatives to improve school nutrition environments

The Institute of Medicine's study, Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, highlighted the importance of school environments in affecting young people's dietary habits (Koplan et al 2005). In July 2007, two new state laws took effect to regulate food and beverages sold and served in California schools, the same month that school districts nationwide established district wellness policies (DWP), as mandated by the federal Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004.

Stakeholder involvement is critical to establishing school food policies that reflect local needs (IOM 2005), however, many DWPs are being implemented with minimal student involvement. Healthy Empowered Youth (HEY) were teams of high school students taking lead roles in implementing, monitoring and evaluating District Wellness Policies in four high schools in northern California. HEY members engaged students and adults to make changes to their school environments that include changes in food quality, nutrition value, price and promotions. This paper presents evaluation findings from: a) pre-post surveys (N=321) and focus groups with 10th grade students in the target schools; b) a school assessment tool developed by HEY participants and completed by students in health classes; c) HEY participant skills and knowledge survey; and d) student/adult stakeholder interviews.

Findings from multiple data sources suggest that: 1) HEY actively partnered with school staff to create changes in all areas of school wellness; 2) Participating in HEY resulted in skills and knowledge gains; 3) The work of adult stakeholders with roles in implementing DWP benefited from the contributions of HEY; 4) Student populations were widely engaged by HEY in providing input into changes at their schools; and 5) HEY was instrumental in moving implementation of DWP forward in a time of decreased school resources.

Evidence suggests students are aware of changes that have occurred in healthy food and physical activity options at school. However, they believe that changes are still needed and there are still barriers to students eating healthy foods at school, including the taste and cost of food.

Lessons learned from HEY's implementation of SWPs have important implications for schools nationwide as they change school environments in compliance with federal policies to improve youth's dietary practices and create meaningful change in childhood obesity.