Evaluating School Wellness Policies Following Implementation of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010: Updating the Wellness School Assessment Tool (WellSAT)

Start Date: December 2013

ID #: CAS017

Organization: Yale University

Project Lead: Marlene B. Schwartz, PhD

See more related research

Share

The primary aim of this project is to revise and update the content and format of the WellSAT (Wellness School Assessment Tool, www.wellsat.org), an online quantitative measure for evaluating the quality of school wellness policies. Originally launched in 2009, the website has had thousands of visitors across all 50 states, and is used by policy-makers, local-level advocates, researchers, and other key stakeholders working in both research and applied capacities. New school food standards arising out of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, as well as the evolution of best practices in schools, necessitates a revision to keep the measure and website relevant. Investigators will review current school nutrition and physical education best practices, physical activity best practices, and United States Department of Agriculture regulations governing school districts participating in the federal school meal programs. A group of content area experts will be convened to serve in an advisory role as this revision is undertaken.

Age Groups: Adolescents (grades 9 to 12), Elementary-age children (grades K to 5), Young adolescents (grades 6 to 8)

Resource Type: Commissioned Research Project Summary

Keywords: Competitive foods, Nutrition standards, Physical activity, School meal programs, School wellness policies, Snacks

State: National

Focus Areas: Nutrition Policy & Programs, School & After School

Related Research

July 2026

Forecasting WIC Funding Needs: Supporting Families, Strengthening Access

In partnership with Westat and with support from Healthy Eating Research, the National WIC Association (NWA) developed a new forecasting model to project funding needs of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) for Fiscal Year 2027. Report This report describes the model development, including methodology, as well as analysis conducted More

May 2026

SNAP participation and the healthfulness of food purchased by households with children during the pandemic

Changes in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic included emergency benefit allotments and operation waivers. Using five expenditure-based measures of the nutritional quality of food purchases, we tested whether changes in SNAP during the first year of the pandemic were associated with better nutritional quality of food purchases More

May 2026

SNAP Decisions: Qualitative Research on the Perceived Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Benefit Changes on Food Purchases

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants experienced changes in benefits alongside the evolving social and economic environment. Understanding how these factors may have influenced food purchasing decisions can clarify SNAP’s role in shaping diet quality. This study aimed to document SNAP participants’ perspectives on how benefit changes during the pandemic influenced More