259787 Population-level Predictors of School Wellness Policy Implementation

Monday, October 29, 2012

Paula Gisler, RN, BSN, MCS , College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Nicholasville, KY
Background The ‘‘Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010'' strengthens the pre-existing requirement for school wellness policies (SWP). Policy enactment does not guarantee implementation. Purpose Population-level predictors of SWP implementation were examined. Significance SWP implementation predictors have implications for needed SWP structure,support and monitoring, Methods Secondary analysis of the 2009 Kentucky School Policy Interview (N= 573) data was performed. A SWP implementation scale was developed from 15 survey items. Higher scores indicate better implementation (0-34). Reliability (á = .753) and factor analysis revealed 3 sub-scales: policy enforcement; junk food restriction; wellness program accessibility. The 2009 Annie E. Casey Kids Count survey provided 13 items as county-level predictors of SWP implementation. Results SWP existed in 65% of schools. Mean implementation score was low at 6.17 (SD=3.34; range 0-17). Higher percentages of overweight children and minorities predicted higher scores. Higher percentages of college graduation and mothers initiating breast feeding predicted lower scores. Median household income; spending per pupil; and percentages of the following were non-significant: births to smoking mothers; mothers <18; diabetes, inactivity and obesity in adults and child obesity. Only 9.6% of the variance was explained by the regression model (F=4.56, df=13, p< .05). Conclusions Significant variables associated with affluence predicted lower implementation scores and those associated with lower socioeconomic status predicted higher scores. Findings may indicate better school support for SWP implementation in lower socioeconomic communities. Since little variance in SWP implementation was explained by population-level variables, other intra-school factors may be important future study targets.

Learning Areas:
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify population level variables which predict both directly and inversely school wellness policy implementation.

Keywords: Child Health Promotion, School-Based Programs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I designed and completed the secondary analysis of this data and suthored the abstract outlining my results and implications of those results. I am a registered nurse and PhD Student at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing.I am the administrative director of the Neuroscience Center at Central Baptist Hospital, Lexington KY. I am recently published in a peer reviewed journal.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.