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.

scholarly journals State Wellness Policy Requirement Laws Matter for District Wellness Policy Comprehensiveness and Wellness Policy Implementation in the United States

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 188
Author(s):  
Jamie F. Chriqui ◽  
Julien Leider ◽  
Lindsey Turner ◽  
Elizabeth Piekarz-Porter ◽  
Marlene B. Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
District Level ◽  
Wellness Policy ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
District Implementation

Beginning with the school year 2006–2007, U.S. school districts participating in the federal Child Nutrition Programs were required to adopt and implement a local wellness policy (LWP) that included goals and/or standards for nutrition education, school meals, other foods sold or served in schools, and physical activity. A primary challenge with LWPs has been inconsistent implementation. This study examined whether state wellness policy requirement laws and district LWP comprehensiveness influence district level implementation, using law/policy data from the National Wellness Policy Study and school food authority (SFA)-reported district LWP implementation from the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study. Generalized linear and structural equation models were used, controlling for SFA and district characteristics. SFAs in states with wellness policy requirement laws (vs. those in states without) reported implementing significantly more practices (59.56% vs. 44.57%, p < 0.01). State wellness policy requirement laws were associated with district LWP comprehensiveness (coeff.: 0.463; 95% CI: 0.123, 0.803) and district-level implementation (coeff.: 1.392; 95% CI: 0.299, 2.485). District LWP comprehensiveness was associated with district implementation (coeff.: 0.562; 95% CI: 0.072, 1.053), but did not mediate the state law–district implementation relationship. This study highlights the important role that state laws and district LWPs can play in facilitating wellness policy implementation.

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 "It's huge in First Nation culture for us, as a school, to be a role model": Facilitators and Barriers Affecting School Nutrition Policy Implementation in Alexander First Nation

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Murray ◽  
Alexander Research Committee ◽  
Anna Farmer ◽  
Katerina Maximova ◽  
Noreen Willows
Keyword(s):  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Nutrition Policy ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
First Nation ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Wild Game ◽  
Health Programming

This mixed-methods community-based participatory research generated knowledge of school staff perceptions of the facilitators of and barriers to implementation of a Canadian First Nation school’s healthy nutrition policy. Themes derived from seven qualitative staff interviews were integrated with quantitative data derived from 28 staff surveys. The Medicine Wheel was used to describe results, as it provided a non-hierarchical and relational way to categorize all components and stakeholders of nutrition policy implementation. Factors that facilitated policy implementation were associated with the school environment, including the nutritional quality of foods sold or offered at school, administrative support, and foundational health programming prior to policy development. Staff identified the school as a role model for community members and as a key facilitator of policy implementation (for example, in leading health initiatives, providing a place for nutritious food and physical activity opportunities, and acting as a health resource for all community members). Barriers included inconsistency between staff members in policy implementation, uncertainty about staff members’ role in policy implementation, and lack of school communication with parents regarding the policy. One of the informative barriers from a First Nation perspective was the perceived misalignment of traditional foods, such as bannock or wild game, served at First Nation cultural events with federally derived nutrition standards that emphasize a low-fat diet. Results suggest strengthening school nutrition policy implementation by increasing staff nutrition education and certainty of their roles as policy facilitators, advocates, and enforcers; improving communication with families; having supportive school health programming; and ensuring the school, community, and home environment all reinforce healthy eating.

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.

Translating research into policy

2018 ◽  
pp. 222-226
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Mason ◽  
Blerta Maliqi
Keyword(s):  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Policy Adoption ◽  
Local Stakeholder ◽  
What Works ◽  
Newborn Child ◽  
Research To Policy ◽  
New Evidence

This chapter on converting research to policy allows the reader to bridge the gap between acquisition of research data to policy implementation. Healthcare policy goes through four key stages: (1) Policy development: the synthesis of evidence to identify policy content; (2) Policy adoption—contextualisation, endorsement, and authorisation of a policy by a local stakeholder; (3) Policy implementation—making sure the policy leads to a change in practice, through training workforces and ensuring adequate infrastructure and supplies; (4) Monitoring and evaluation—ensuring that policies achieve their intended results, and if not, using the new evidence to inform new policy iterations. Policies for maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health are dynamic and need to be updated on a regular basis as new evidence of what works is made available. Implementation of the policies is equally, if not more important, as their adoption. Monitoring of the policy implementation is key to accountability for results.

Comprehensive Policies to Support Comprehensive Practices: Physical Activity in Elementary Schools

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-322
Author(s):  
Hannah G. Calvert ◽  
Lindsey Turner ◽  
Julien Leider ◽  
Elizabeth Piekarz-Porter ◽  
Jamie F. Chriqui
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Elementary Schools ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
State Level ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
The State ◽  
District Level ◽  
Cost Study ◽  
School Day ◽  
Nationally Representative

Background: Schools are a setting in which students learn about the importance of lifelong physical activity (PA). Best practice guidelines indicate that schools should provide students with adequate physical education (PE) minutes and opportunities to engage in PA throughout the school day. Methods: Data from the nationally representative School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study in 2014–2015 were utilized to assess PA practices (including PE) at 412 public elementary schools. These data were linked to state- and district-level policy data from the National Wellness Policy Study to examine the relationships between state law and school district policies and school practices. Results: Just over half of the schools were in a state with a policy regarding PE minutes. The comprehensiveness and strength of PA policies were higher at the district level than the state level, but were still low overall. Comprehensiveness of PA policies at the state level, but not at the district level, was related to schools within those states that provide more PA practices. Conclusions: Existence of PE and PA policies at the state level appears to be an important predictor of school PA practices. Having more comprehensive policies at the state level may be an important facilitator of school implementation of comprehensive PA practices.

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