Local Wellness Policy Strength and Perceived Implementation of School Nutrition Standards across Three States

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 331-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Wall ◽  
Ruth Litchfield ◽  
Alicia Carriquiry ◽  
Elaine T. McDonnell ◽  
Gail M. Woodward-Lopez
Keyword(s):  
School Nutrition ◽  
Wellness Policy ◽  
Local Wellness Policy ◽  
Nutrition Standards

scholarly journals Can Monitoring Make It Happen? An Assessment of How Reporting, Monitoring, and Evaluation Can Support Local Wellness Policy Implementation in US Schools

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
Lindsey Turner ◽  
Yuka Asada ◽  
Julien Leider ◽  
Elizabeth Piekarz-Porter ◽  
Marlene Schwartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Child Nutrition ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Wellness Policy ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
Child Nutrition Programs ◽  
Local Wellness Policy ◽  
Nationally Representative

US school districts participating in federal child nutrition programs are required to develop a local wellness policy (LWP). Each district is allowed flexibility in policy development, including the approaches used for policy reporting, monitoring, and evaluation (RME). The aim of this convergent mixed-methods study was to quantitatively examine RME provisions in policies among a nationally representative sample of districts in the 2014–2015 school year in order to examine whether policies were associated with RME practices in those districts, and to qualitatively examine perceived challenges to RME practices. Data were compiled through the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study and the National Wellness Policy Study. In multivariable regression models accounting for demographics, survey respondents were significantly more likely to report that their district had informed the public about LWP content and implementation, if there was a relevant policy provision in place. Having a strong policy (as compared to no policy) requiring evaluation was associated with reports that the district had indeed evaluated implementation. Having definitive/required provisions in policies was significantly associated with actual use of RME practices. RME activities are an important part of policy implementation, and these results show that policy provisions addressing RME activities must be written with strong language to require compliance. In interviews with 39 superintendents, many reported that RME activities are challenging, including difficulty determining how to monitor and show impact of their district’s wellness initiatives. Furthermore, the qualitative results highlighted the need for vetted tools that are freely available, widely used, and feasible for districts to use in assessing their progress toward meeting the goals in their LWPs.

scholarly journals District Wellness Policy Nutrition Standards Are Associated with Healthier District Food Procurement Practices in the United States

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Piekarz-Porter ◽  
Julien Leider ◽  
Lindsey Turner ◽  
Jamie F. Chriqui
Keyword(s):  
Child Nutrition ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Wellness Policy ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
Food Purchasing ◽  
Food Procurement ◽  
Wellness Policies ◽  
Nutrition Standards

Food procurement policies often exist to require that schools purchase foods with specific nutrient standards. Such policies are increasingly being used with the hope of improving access to healthier foods and beverages. Local wellness policies, required in any school district that participates in Federal Child Nutrition Programs, often contain specific nutrition standards that detail what can be sold to students during the school day. This study investigated the extent to which nutrition standards in wellness policies may be associated with healthier nutrition standards in district-level purchasing specifications. Cross-sectional data from the 2014–2015 school year for 490 school food authorities from 46 states and the District of Columbia were collected as part of the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study and the National Wellness Policy Study. Survey-adjusted multivariable logistic regression models were computed to examine the association between district wellness policy nutrition standards and corresponding district food purchasing specifications. Results show that having a district wellness policy with corresponding nutrition standards and being in a rural area were associated with district food purchasing specifications for specific nutrients. These findings contribute to the literature to suggest that having a wellness policy with detailed nutrition standards may help to increase access to healthier foods and beverages.

Early Impact of the Federally Mandated Local Wellness Policy on Physical Activity in Rural, Low-Income Elementary Schools in Colorado

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (S1) ◽  
pp. S141-S160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine S Belansky ◽  
Nick Cutforth ◽  
Erin Delong ◽  
Courtney Ross ◽  
Sharon Scarbro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Elementary Schools ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Wellness Policy ◽  
Local Wellness Policy

Wellness Committee Status and Local Wellness Policy Implementation Over Time

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. e75-e83
Author(s):  
Carolyn D. McIlree ◽  
Hannah G. Lane ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
Erin R. Hager
Keyword(s):  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Wellness Policy ◽  
Local Wellness Policy ◽  
Over Time

scholarly journals The Role of District Wellness Policies in Encouraging Student Participation in the School Breakfast Program, United States

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Leider ◽  
Wanting Lin ◽  
Elizabeth Piekarz-Porter ◽  
Lindsey Turner ◽  
Jamie F. Chriqui
Keyword(s):  
School Nutrition ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Wellness Policy ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
School Breakfast Program ◽  
District Policy ◽  
School Breakfast ◽  
Wellness Policies

Eating breakfast is associated with better academic performance and nutrition and lower risk of obesity, but skipping breakfast is common among children and adolescents, and participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s School Breakfast Program (SBP) is low. This study assessed the association between school district wellness policy provisions coded as part of the National Wellness Policy Study and student SBP participation and acceptance of the breakfasts provided using cross-sectional survey data from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study. Separate survey-adjusted multivariable logistic regressions were computed, linking students eating (N = 1575) and liking (N = 726) the school breakfast to corresponding district policy measures, controlling for school and student characteristics. Strong district policy, as opposed to no policy, was associated with significantly higher odds of students eating the school breakfast (odds ratio (OR): 1.86; 95% CI: 1.09, 3.16; p = 0.022), corresponding to an adjusted prevalence of 28.4% versus 19.2%, and liking the school breakfast (OR: 2.14; 95% CI: 1.26, 3.63; p = 0.005), corresponding to an adjusted prevalence of 69.0% versus 53.9%. District policy has the potential to play an important role in encouraging higher levels of SBP participation.

Changes to dietary and health outcomes following implementation of the 2012 updated US Department of Agriculture school nutrition standards: analysis using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005–2016

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (16) ◽  
pp. 3016-3024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Jia ◽  
Lynn L Moore ◽  
Howard Cabral ◽  
Amresh Hanchate ◽  
Marc R LaRochelle
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Vegetable Intake ◽  
School Lunch ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable Intake ◽  
Nutrition Examination Survey ◽  
Obesity Prevalence ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Nutrition Standards

AbstractObjective:In 2012, the US government overhauled school nutrition standards, but few studies have evaluated the effects of these standards at the national level. The current study examines the impact of the updated school nutrition standards on dietary and health outcomes of schoolchildren in a nationally representative data set.Design:Difference-in-differences. We compared weekday fruit and vegetable intake between students with daily school lunch participation and students without school lunch participation before and after implementation of updated school nutrition standards using a multivariable linear regression model. Secondary outcomes included weekday solid fat and added sugar (SoFAS) intake and overweight and obesity prevalence. We adjusted analyses for demographic and family socio-economic factors.Setting:USA.Participants:K-12 students, aged 6–20 years (n 9172), from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005–2016.Results:Implementation of updated school nutrition standards was not associated with a change in weekday fruit and vegetable intake (β = 0·02 cups, 95 % CI −0·23, 0·26) for students with daily school lunch participation. However, implementation of the policy was associated with a 1·5 percentage point (95 % CI −3·0, −0·1) decline in weekday SoFAS intake and a 6·1 percentage point (95 % CI −12·1, −0·1) decline in overweight and obesity prevalence.Conclusions:Changes to US school nutrition standards were associated with reductions in the consumption of SoFAS as well as a decrease in overweight and obesity in children who eat school lunch. However, we did not detect a change in weekday intake of fruits and vegetables associated with the policy change.

scholarly journals Local Wellness Policy 5 Years Later: Is It Making a Difference for Students in Low-Income, Rural Colorado Elementary Schools?

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine S. Belansky ◽  
Nick Cutforth ◽  
Lynn Gilbert ◽  
Jill Litt ◽  
Hannah Reed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Schools ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Wellness Policy ◽  
Local Wellness Policy ◽  
Making A Difference
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