Effects of Federal Legislation on Wellness Policy Formation in School Districts in the United States

• Published in: Journal of the American Dietetic Association Vol. 109; no. 1; pp. 95 - 101
• Main Authors: Longley, Carol Heard, PhD, RD, Sneed, Jeannie, PhD, RD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Maryland Heights, MO Elsevier Inc 2009; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: beverages; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child Nutrition Sciences - education; Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena - physiology; Dietary Guidelines; e-mail; Effects; Factor Analysis, Statistical; federal government; Federal legislation; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Food Services - legislation & jurisprudence; Food Services - standards; fund raising; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; health education; health policy; Health Policy - legislation & jurisprudence; health promotion; Health Promotion - legislation & jurisprudence; Humans; information services; Internal Medicine; laws and regulations; Male; Nutrition education; nutrition guidelines; nutrition policy; Nutrition Policy - legislation & jurisprudence; Obesity - epidemiology; Obesity - prevention & control; Outcome and Process Assessment (Health Care); physical activity; physical education; Public Policy; School districts; school food service; school meals; Schools; state government; Statistics, Nonparametric; United States; USDA food and nutrition programs; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Wellness programs; United States; North America; America; United States > US; Policy; Metabolic diseases; School; Legislation; School environment
• ISSN: 0002-8223; 2212-2672; 1878-3570; 2212-2680
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jada.2008.10.011

The Reauthorization Act of 2004 required local education agencies sponsoring school meal programs to establish a wellness policy by the beginning of school year 2006-2007. The purpose of this study was to examine the process and outcome of wellness policy development in school districts. Phase 1 examined states' school nutrition legislation. Phase 2 consisted of qualitative interviews with foodservice directors. Phase 3 utilized an e-mail and mail survey. The sampling frame was a stratified random sample selected from medium-sized or larger schools (n=847). Factor analysis was conducted with Cronbach's α. Correlations tested relationships among variables using analysis of variance with Tukey's post hoc test. Before the federal mandate, few wellness components (37.4%) were in place for foodservice outside of the federally regulated meal program. Following the legislation, 72.4% of the wellness components were in place. Nutrition components were the variables that changed the most and were reported as the components most frequently implemented. Changes particularly noted in foodservice operations were the use of nutrition guidelines for a la carte foods, beverages, fundraisers, parties, and vending. Foodservice directors noted improvements in nutrition education and physical education. Foodservice directors reported less progress in the implementation and monitoring of the wellness policy than in the development of the policy. The top barriers to wellness policy development and implementation were the need to use food in fundraising and competition for time.