This article examines the effects of Maine’s statewide nutrition policy banning “foods of minimal nutritional value” in public high schools (Chapter 51). The food environment of public high schools participating in federally funded meal programs was evaluated. Researchers found a significant decrease in availability of soda in student vending machines post-Chapter 51. No significant changes More
Few U.S. studies have investigated school drinking water access and policies and practices related to school drinking water. This project will investigate drinking water availability, policies and practices, and barriers to implementing programs and policies to improve drinking water access and intake in California public schools. If pending California state legislation to improve drinking water More
Point-of-purchase nutrition labeling policies are proposed as a mechanism to increase awareness of nutrient content, modify food selection decisions, reduce selections of energy dense foods and increase selections of nutrient dense foods. School meal programs offer an opportunity to extend these benefits to children, especially lower-income children, but there has been little research to support More
It is important to examine how the national school meal programs, which feed roughly half the country’s school-age population every school day, can contribute to preventing childhood obesity. Although the USDA’s Child Nutrition Commodity Program offers many nutritious options to school districts, previous research has shown that schools primarily order foods high in fat that More
This paper describes the initial influence of Local Wellness Policies (LWPs) on the school nutrition environments and policies in lower-income, rural Colorado elementary schools. Overall, the researchers found that the LWPs were weakly worded and rarely addressed energy content, but researchers observed three improvements after the LWP mandate went into effect: 1) an increase in More
This paper examines student-involvement goals in local wellness policies by analyzing the characteristics of local education agencies (LEAs) in Pennsylvania. Researchers found that the majority of LEAs in Pennsylvania included policy goals that address student involvement in various activities related to wellness policy, food service and role modeling. LEAs with comprehensive and strong policies were More
This article evaluates the impact of legislation that established nutrition standards for competitive foods in California schools. Researchers found that regulation of competitive foods modestly improved school environments and student nutritional intake. Availability of nutrition standard-compliant foods and beverages increased, while availability of noncompliant items decreased. The authors conclude, however, that additional policies are needed More
The Wellness School Assessment Tool (WellSAT) is an online evaluation of school wellness policies that address nutrition education and promotion, physical activity/physical education, school meals and competitive foods. It is the first instrument of its kind, providing a quantitative assessment that can be used to track progress over time.
Connecticut’s Healthy Food Certification (HFC) is a voluntary program which provides monetary incentives to school districts that choose to implement state nutrition standards for all foods sold to students outside reimbursable school meals. This paper evaluates the impact of Connecticut’s HFC on the availability of competitive foods and National School Lunch Program (NSLP) participation. Researchers More
Water, as a beverage replacement for sugar-sweetened beverages, is a promising school-based obesity prevention strategy. Implemented in July 2011, California Senate Bill 1413 (SB1413) requires schools to provide free, fresh drinking water during mealtimes in school food service areas. This research project examined barriers and facilitators that influence the availability of free water in school More
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