School Wellness Environments: Perceptions Versus Realities

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Final Rule on School Wellness Policy requires schools to self-evaluate wellness policies and environments. To understand the utility of this information, this study evaluates the validity of school-reported wellness information against directly observed data. Wellness leaders at 10 Midwestern elementary schools completed a questionnaire spanning nine school wellness settings. School-reported information was compared against a direct observation protocol. Percent agreement and κ statistics were used to assess agreement between school reporters and direct observation. Overall percent agreement between reporters and direct observation was 77.1%. Agreement ranged from 67.3% (Lunchroom Environment) to 92.0% (School Wellness Policies) across the nine categories. κ results showed that 65.7% of the items demonstrated fair or better reporter agreement. The results provide preliminary support for the utility of schools’ self-reported wellness information. Facilitation of independent reporting on wellness environments by school leaders will contribute to broader applications for school wellness programming.

Evaluation of a Large-Scale School Wellness Intervention Through the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR): Implications for Dissemination and Sustainability

“…Despite positive ndings regarding Student Needs and Resources (outer setting), schools reported challenges when ensuring scheduled time for students to engage in SWITCH programming. The physical education and lunchroom settings were cited numerous times as areas for needed improvement and communication; such ndings align with prior research on SWITCH and other comprehensive health promotion interventions and policies (11,20,(46)(47)(48). As such, it seems that school stakeholders agreed on the "need" for school health and wellness promotion, but school-level schedules and policies did not seem to re ect this mission.…”

Evaluation of a Large-Scale School Wellness Intervention Through the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR): Implications for Dissemination and Sustainability

“…Accordingly, a potential implementation strategy for future work with schools may be to provide a local network of support, bringing together other sectors such as food retail and community centers, ultimately enhancing the culture of health in the community (45,46). (11,20,(47)(48)(49). As such, it seems that school stakeholders agreed on the "need" for school health and wellness promotion, but school-level schedules and policies did not seem to re ect this mission.…”

“…Previous research has examined: the effectiveness of SWITCH to elicit improvements in children's health behaviors through randomized and nonrandomized trials (12,15,16); the cost-effectiveness and feasibility of moving to an online format for training and implementation (14); acceptability and feasibility of educational modules in the classroom, physical education, and lunchroom settings (17)(18)(19); validity of school readiness and wellness environment assessment tools (20,21); and different implementation strategies to enhance overall implementation (10,11,13).…”

Exploring Wellness Through Concept Analysis

“…School-age children in the United States spend on average, six hours per day in school for approximately 180 days per year, which comprises a significant amount of their youth (Lee et al, 2022; (National Center for Education Statistics, n.d.). The combined academic and socialization experience, therefore, substantially impacts the student's physical and mental development (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2019a, 2019b).…”