The Relationship between Written District Policies and School Practices among High‐Need Districts in New York State

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This study tested the hypothesis that written district wellness policies are associated with higher rates of implementation of nutrition and physical activity practices. METHODS:Written wellness policies and building level practices were assessed for schools (N = 295) within high-need districts (N = 70) in New York State. The relationship between policies and practices was measured using multi-level mixed-effects logistic regressions. RESULTS:Overall, stronger written district policies significantly increase the likelihood of practice implementation in schools.This relationship is strongest for physical education and physical activity items, followed by nutrition standards for competitive foods in middle and high schools. Most elementary schools implemented nutrition practices with or without a policy and there were differences in implementation rates between elementary and middle/high schools. When examined separately, policies were for the most part not significantly associated with implementation of corresponding practices. CONCLUSIONS:Strong and comprehensive written policies are associated with higher rates of practice implementation overall, but the consistency of this relationship varies by policy-practice domain. The newer policy topics areas of school wellness promotion and marketing were less frequently included in written policies. Future research should examine whether districts that strengthen their written policies achieve greater implementation over time.

State Wellness Policy Requirement Laws Matter for District Wellness Policy Comprehensiveness and Wellness Policy Implementation in the United States

“…Our study was conducted nationwide, 9 years after the LWP mandate first took effect, and focused on overall policy content and implementation practices (rather than specific elements of the LWPs). In fact, our findings are consistent with prior work showing an association between LWPs overall and implementation practices, suggesting that the overall wellness policy may be more important for implementation rather than individual policy components [34,46]. Additionally, a strength of this study was that we were able to match the LWP components directly to the SFA wellness policy implementation components.…”

“…Prior research has clearly documented that most wellness policies in the United States are weak; in other words, they are comprehensive (addressing many topics), but they are not definitively required (strong) [6,9,22]. Additionally, implementation has been greater in districts with stronger and more comprehensive wellness policies overall [34,47,52]. Due to the low prevalence of strong district LWP overall in our sample, it was not possible to model LWP strength; future research should explore this issue further.…”

Every School Healthy: An Urban School Case Study

“…By having a strong written district wellness policy we increased implementation across the district and its schools. 5,6 Wellness policies should include strong language to indicate that action is required, including words such as shall, will, must, require, all, comply, and enforce. 6 Wellness policies should also include wording in the health education domain stressing the importance that sexual health education be offered in a developmentally and intellectually appropriate manner, responsive to students and families with disabilities and designed to improve equity and reduce health disparities.…”

“…This case study occurred over a period of 7 years and the work continues to become institutionalized across the district and city. Research impresses that schools in districts with strong policies are more likely to implement the policy and associated practices 5,6 . The strength of the policy lies in strong language to indicate that action is required and includes words such as shall, will, must, require, all, comply, and enforce 6 .…”

“…Implementing a comprehensive wellness policy in a large urban setting with over 6000 employees and 34,000 students is challenging. By having a strong written district wellness policy we increased implementation across the district and its schools 5,6 . Wellness policies should include strong language to indicate that action is required, including words such as shall, will, must, require, all, comply, and enforce 6 .…”