Where Schools Stand on Health and Wellness—A Comprehensive Report In the largest and most comprehensive study to date of health and wellness policies and programs in U.S. schools, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said October 19 that schools "have made significant progress" in reducing junk food and offering more physical education, but schools need to take further steps to improve the health and safety of students. The 2006 School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) found that: • Thirty-two percent of states now prohibit schools from offering junk foods in vending machines, and 30 percent of school districts have such prohibitions; • Forty-six percent of schools now sell water in vending machines or school stores; • Twelve percent of states now require elementary schools to provide regularly scheduled recess, and 57 percent of school districts have this requirement; • Sixty-four percent of schools prohibit tobacco use in all school locations, including off-campus school-sponsored events; • Only 25 percent of schools now sell cookies, cakes, or other high-fat baked goods in vending machines or school stores, and only 19 percent offer French-fries a la carte; • Seventy-three percent of schools offer salads a la carte. All of those figures are an improvement over a study conducted six years ago, in 2000, the CDC pointed out, but the 2006 study also noted some areas in need of improvement, including that the majority of high schools still sell high-sugar and high–salt snacks in vending machines or school stores; and only 4 percent of elementary schools, 8 percent of middle schools, and 2 percent of high schools provide daily physical education or its equivalent for the entire school year for all students in all grades. Broken down by the health-related services provided in schools, the study found that: • One-third of schools have a full-time school nurse, defined as a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse present in the school for at least 30 hours per week; and slightly more than half of schools have a part-time nurse; • More than 95 percent of schools provide first aid, administration of medications, and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, but fewer than 60 percent offer prevention services such as tobacco-use prevention; • Eighty percent of schools have a part-time or full-time school counselor, 61 percent have a part- or full-time psychologist (whose primary responsibility frequently is testing children for placement in special education classes or providing mental health support to children enrolled in special education), and 42 percent have a part- or full-time social worker; • Between 20 percent and 27 percent of states offer district food service directors and managers state certification, licensure, or endorsement, and only 15 percent of districts require a newly hired food service director to have such credentials; • Fewer than half of school food service directors and managers who responded to the study reported having an undergraduate degree. Asked what health education topics are taught at various school levels, respondents to the study indicated that alcohol and other drug use prevention and tobacco-use prevention programs are required and taught in most states, districts, and schools, in grades K through 12. Human sexuality is addressed in half of elementary schools, 72 percent of middle schools, and 84 percent of high schools, along with HIV prevention and pregnancy prevention. Some 84 percent of elementary schools, 82 percent of middle schools, and 86 percent of high schools discuss nutrition and dietary behavior. The CDC's goal in releasing the study findings, said CDC Director Julie Gerberding, is "to provide health and education officials with useful information that will help them develop and improve programs that can have significant benefit for our school-aged children." The School Health Policies and Programs Study is conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention every six years. Results of the 2006 study are published in the October2007 issue of the Journal of School Health; summaries and fact sheets including state education agency policies are available on the Internet at www.cdc.gov/SHPPS. |
