Health Impact Assessment: Farm to School and School Garden Policy, HB 2800

Upstream Public Health conducted a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) on Oregon's HB 2800, a state-wide bill that provides public schools with reimbursement funds for purchasing Oregon food products and establishes a grant fund to create new school gardens. Farm to school and school garden programs have gained momentum for their potential to contribute to local economies, foster healthy school food environments, support nutrition education, and build relationships among farmers and school districts. Upstream Public Health, a health policy advocacy non-profit, worked with two advisory groups to develop the scope of the HIA, clarify assessment findings, develop recommendations, and develop a dissemination strategy. We defined five health determinant pathways in the scope including Diet & Nutrition, Farm to School and School Garden K-12 Education, Employment, Environmental Health, and Social Capital. We used a systematic literature review, secondary data analysis, and an IMPLAN economic analysis in our assessment. We found that HB 2800 would create new jobs; strongly impact student enrollment in school meal programs, student fruit and vegetable consumption, youth educational attainment, and gardening education; moderately impact household food security and youth learning outcomes; and have null or uncertain effects on climate change outcomes.