Study of School District Wellness Policies Shows Many Fail to Provide A Healthy School Environment
July 29, 2009
Study of School District Wellness Policies Shows Many Fail to Provide A Healthy School Environment

In school years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008, many school wellness policies were underdeveloped and fragmented, lacking sufficient plans for implementation and monitoring, according to a report released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Bridging the Gap program.  The report found that although the strength of the policies did increase during the first two years of the requirement, they were still weak overall and did not require schools to take action. In most cases, school districts established strong nutritional guidelines for school meals, but imposed weaker restrictions on what is sold in à la carte lines, vending machines and school stores. Thus, many students have access to junk food and soda throughout the day. While more than 30 percent of students were enrolled in a school district that required physical activity outside of physical education, the majority of policies did not require physical activity breaks. The study included a nationally representative sample of 579 and 641 districts with policies in place by the first day of the 2006–07 and 2007–08 school years.

See also:

Bridging the Gap – Local Wellness Policies: Assessing School District Strategies for Improving Children’s Health: School Years 2006-07 and 2007-08

CHHCS: School Wellness Policies and the Fight on Childhood Obesity

CHHCS: Where Schools Stand on Health and Wellness—A Comprehensive Report