In a first look at the wellness policies schools were supposed to have in place by the end of the current school year, a congressional hearing May 10 was short on data about how well schools are meeting the legislative mandate, with some witnesses testifying that a number of school officials they met, including cafeteria workers and athletics coaches, seemed never to have heard of "wellness policies."

To refresh memories, Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), who chaired a  subcommittee hearing on "Using School Wellness Plans to Help Fight Childhood Obesity," pointed out that the 2004 Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act required all local education agencies that participate in the federal school lunch or breakfast programs to establish school wellness policies by the end of the 2006-2007 school year.

The wellness policies were supposed to include goals for nutrition education, physical activity, nutrition standards for foods sold in schools that are not federally reimbursable meals, plans for measuring implementation of the local wellness policies, and a requirement for community involvement in the development of the policies, McCarthy said.

How well all of that is going is being measured by only one organization, according to testimony at the hearing. Action for Healthy Kids, which describes itself as "formed in 2002 specifically to address the epidemic of overweight, undernourished and sedentary youth by focusing on changes at school," said that starting last summer and into the beginning of the school year, it collected a non-random sample of school wellness policies and, where possible, implementing regulations, from every state and from districts of all sizes.

The good news from an analysis of those plans, Action for Healthy Kids reported, is that 80 percent of the policies addressed the required areas of nutrition education, nutrition standards, and physical activity; 77 percent addressed the issue of access to school meals and after-school snacks; and 89 percent addressed other school-based activities to promote health and fitness, including establishment of an ongoing school health council or committee to involve families and the community.

Policies were often less specific on how the changes they proposed would be implemented and monitored, with many lacking details such as who is responsible for implementation, how implementation will be tracked, or a timeline for implementation.

"We know from other areas of education research that a number of factors contribute to the successful implementation of new policies at the district and building level," Action for Healthy Kids noted, including whether the policy is well written and comprehensive, has commitment from school leaders who are willing to "walk the walk," and gives sufficient authority to the person who will have to oversee implementation.

There are also some predictable barriers to successful implementation, such as costs that are not offset or addressed, lack of understanding or commitment on the part of key stakeholders, logistical challenges such as lack of space or time, and "lack of clarity, so school personnel and others do not know what to expect."

Action for Healthy Kids also pointed out that a soon-to-be-released study by the National Association of State Boards of Education has found that at least 45 states are actively providing assistance to local school districts on the formulation of wellness policies and that many have approved legislation or state board policies that provide direction on standards for both physical activity and nutrition.

Still unclear at the end of the congressional hearing was whether wellness policies, where they are established, will aid the fight on childhood obesity, though witnesses such as James Marks of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation noted that they are a good place to start. "Schools play a vital role in shaping children's behaviors and life-long habits," Marks said "We know the critical steps that can and must be taken to improve school wellness. We can start by developing policies to improve the types of foods and beverages offered, restrict access to soda and junk food, and promote more physical activity for students."

A Wellness Policy Tool that walks users through the stages of policy development is available from Action for Healthy Kids at  www.actionforhealthykids.org/wellnesstool/index.php.