It's the right thing to do: School professionals' motivations for engaging with snack policy implementation

Background: The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-296) gave the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) authority to establish guidelines for competitive food and beverages, resulting in the Smart Snacks in Schools rule. Successful implementation requires involvement from a wide range of school professionals, many who may never have previously engaged with snack food reform. While studies have examined school professionals’ perspectives about wellness policies, few have looked specifically at snack policies and how these views impact engagement with implementation .

Methodology: A multiple-case study was employed, including semi-structured interviews (n=39) with a wide range of stakeholders from 8 states, including but not limited to Food Service Directors, Principals, Athletic Directors, Nurses, PE teachers, Cafeteria Managers, and Booster Club members. Contextual Interaction Theory was used to conceptualize the construct of actors' motivations to engage with policy implementation. Cross case analysis was conducted following Yin (2009) and Miles, Huberman, & Saldana (2014). 

Findings: School professionals expressed a moral imperative that snack policy implementation was the ‘right thing to do;’ however, respondents simultaneously shared conflicting views about the role of governments and schools in responding to school wellness. The presentation will explore internal and external motivations to engage or not engage with snack policy implementation.

Conclusion: This study contributes empirical evidence of how school professionals view and engage with the recent federal snack guidelines. Findings are directly relevant to those working at the federal, state, and local levels to provide technical assistance; school professionals’ motivations should be considered in any implementation strategy.