Comparison of Nutrition and Physical Activity Related School Wellness Policy Surveillance Systems in the United States

Introduction: The passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 offers new provisions for school-based nutrition and physical activity related wellness policies, placing greater emphasis on the implementation, evaluation, and public reporting on the progress of these policies. These policies are currently being tracked through various surveillance systems, but have not been systematically assessed. Methods: We reviewed the various national- and state/district-level school wellness policy systems in the U.S., including The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) School Nutrition Dietary Assessment (SNDA) studies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS), The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI’s) Classification of Laws Associated with School Students (C.L.A.S.S.) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF’s) Bridging the Gap (BTG) Wellness Policy Study. We reviewed papers, reports, websites, and instruments and distributed a survey to the lead contacts for each of these systems. Results: Strengths and weaknesses were identified for each system, along with detailed information about types of analyses conducted, levels of data collected (e.g., state, district, school, classroom, individual), accessibility and periodicity of the data collected.  Additionally, we identified areas of overlap and determined potential ways for these systems to better link together moving forward. Discussion: Our findings highlight the need for strategic coordination among these nutrition and physical activity related school wellness policy surveillance systems to comprehensively provide the evidence needed to assess the implementation and impact of these policies in the U.S.