Start Date: February 2016

ID #: 73394

Principal Investigator: Marlene Schwartz, PhD

Organization: University of Connecticut

Funding Round: Round 9

See more related research

Share


The primary goal of this project is to refine and disseminate a valid, reliable quantitative assessment tool to measure the implementation of school wellness policies use to meet the Healthy and Hunger-Free Kids Act mandate to evaluate and report on wellness policy implementation. The research team previously developed the WellSAT tool to assess written school wellness policies and based on this tool developed the WellSAT-I (Implementation). The WellSAT-I is a prototype policy implementation measure, comprised of structured, coded interviews with principals, teachers, and food service personnel. Data have been collected using this measure in 12 schools over three years in an urban, lower-income school district, which will serve as the starting point for establishing reliability and validity of the tool. First, the research team will convene a national group of researchers and practitioners who are experts in the assessment and implementation of school wellness policies. The WellSAT-I will be refined based on psychometric analyses of reliability and validity and findings from the convening and other stakeholder perspectives. Next, the tool will be piloted in 50 school districts across the country. When finalized, the revised tool will be disseminated to researchers, state government agencies, advocacy groups, school administrators, parent groups, and other wellness policy stakeholders.

Related Research

November 2024

School-based nutrition education programs alone are not cost effective for preventing childhood obesity: a microsimulation study

Although interventions to change nutrition policies, systems, and environments (PSE) for children are generally cost effective for preventing childhood obesity, existing evidence suggests that nutrition education curricula, without accompanying PSE changes, are more commonly implemented. This study aimed to estimate the societal costs and potential for cost-effectiveness of 3 nutrition education curricula frequently implemented in More

November 2023

Assessing participation in and implementation of summer electronic-benefits-transfer and non-congregate-meal programs in rural areas

Summer EBT and non-congregate meals are summer meal options that have known associations with reducing food hardship and barriers to food access. But take-up can vary across states, which creates disparities among marginalized populations. The study aims to analyze the coverage, take-up, and implementation decisions made around Summer EBT and non-congregate meals. The research team More

November 2023

Examining the economic value of free school meals to inform future policy decisions on expansion of free school meals in the U.S.

Growing evidence suggests free school meal policies improve student health outcomes and nutrition equity. A key barrier to passage of these policies is concerns regarding potential costs, thus, a broader value for money evaluation is essential to inform policy decisions. This study aims to compare ‘intervention’ states with free school meal policies (i.e., universal free More