District wellness policies and school-level practices in Minnesota, USA

Abstract

Objective To compare the strength of district wellness policies with corresponding school-level practices reported by principals and teachers. Design District-level wellness policy data was collected from school district websites and, if not available online, by requests made to district administrators in the fall of 2013. The strength of district policies was scored using the Wellness School Assessment Tool. School-level data were drawn from the 2012 Minnesota School Health Profiles principal and teacher surveys and National Center for Education Statistics Common Core Data. Generalized estimating equations which accounted for school-level demographics and the nesting of up to two schools within some districts were used to examine 10 district policy items and 14 school-level practices of relevance to nutrition standards, nutrition education and wellness promotion, and physical activity promotion. Setting/Subjects Statewide sample of 180 districts and 212 public schools in Minnesota. Results The mean number of energy-dense, nutrient-poor snack foods and beverages available for students to purchase at school was inversely related to the strength of district wellness policies regulating vending machines and school stores (p=0.01). The proportion of schools having a joint use agreement for shared use of physical activity facilities was inversely related to the strength of district policies addressing community use of school facilities (p=0.03). No associations were found between the strength of other district policies and school-level practices. Conclusions Nutrition educators and other health professionals should assist schools in periodically assessing their wellness practices to ensure compliance with district wellness policies and environments supportive of healthy behaviors.

School Wellness in Wisconsin: Evaluating Policies for Practices to Prevent Pediatric Obesity

“…Discovering factors that are associated with high‐quality policies is crucial. Strong policies are related to greater correspondence between written language at the district level and school practices and the availability of calorie‐dense foods and beverages . Research suggests that schools with high‐quality written policies and adherence to implementation are characterized by supportive environments that champion SWPs, providing resources, oversight, and funding for wellness efforts .…”

“…Previous research suggests that more comprehensive policies are associated with student health, including lower prevalence of adolescent overweight and obesity and greater physical activity in students . Higher quality policies are also more likely to be implemented in schools and are related to healthier school practices such as lower availability of energy‐dense food and beverages . The association between high‐quality policies and increased implementation is likely due in part to precise policy language that provides enough detail for effective implementation at the school level.…”

The Relationship between Written District Policies and School Practices among High‐Need Districts in New York State

“…Each item was scored as a 0, 1, or 2: “0” indicates that there is no mention of the item in the policy; “1” indicates that the item is referenced with weak or vague language; and “2” indicates that there is a strong and specific policy addressing the item. This measure has established reliability for use in public health practice, and previous research has demonstrated that grantees can complete these assessments without bias . Grantees attended a training webinar and followed instructions posted on the WellSAT website.…”

“…The findings to date are mixed. Some studies have found significant relationships between written district wellness policies and practices that occur at the school level, and others have found that having a written policy does not increase the likelihood of the relevant school practice . One challenge faced in the current literature is that the written policy and implementation assessment tools are not always synchronized to match the policy with the practice.…”

District-level implementation of British Columbia’s school food and beverage sales policy: a realist evaluation exploring intervention mechanisms in urban and rural contexts

“…Research from other jurisdictions shows the important role school districts play in implementing food and beverages sales policies. In the United States, studies have found district policies influence students’ consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and significantly reduce the availability of unhealthy items for sale (Larson et al 2016). Also in the US, researchers have proposed that weak district policies and lack of accompanying resources for enforcement from the district level potentially perpetuate poor school food and beverage environments (Bergman et al 2015).…”