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ERIC Number: EJ1368407
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-1559-5676
Investigating the Transparency and Accessibility of High Schools' School Wellness Policy Documentation
Thapa, Samikshya; Lambert, Laurel; Stapp, Alicia; Knight, Kathy
Journal of Child Nutrition & Management, v46 n2 Fall 2022
Purpose/Objectives: With the purpose of addressing childhood obesity, the U.S. Congress passed the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA) 2010, which strengthened the mandate and regulations for schools to develop and implement school wellness policies (SWPs) to promote students' health. Transparency and accessibility of SWPs among schools and public communities are important and required for the development and effective implementation of SWPs. Methods: Websites of 135 high schools in one southern state were searched for the availability and accessibility of three School Wellness Policy (SWP) documents: (1) high school's SWP, (2) school health council (SHC) membership list and coordinator and, (3) implementation plan update. Results: Local SWP were located on 22 high schools' websites with 100 schools either posting or providing a link to the school district's SWP. For 13 schools, no SWP could be located on their website. School health council membership lists were located on 10 high schools' websites. However, no SHC membership list included all eight required members, and SWP implementation plans could not be located on any of the 135 high school or district website. Application To Child Nutrition Professionals: Findings show a lack of transparency and accessibility to high schools' SWP documents. Child nutrition professionals can be a leading facilitator in updating and educating school administrations on SWP requirements, as mandated by the HHFKA (2010). This may be an opportunity for a child nutrition professional to be a champion in efforts to address students' health and wellbeing within the school setting, both inside and outside of the cafeteria.
School Nutrition Association. 120 Waterfront Street Suite 300, National Harbor, MD 20745. Tel: 301-686-3100; Fax: 301-686-3115; e-mail: servicecenter@schoolnutrition.org; Web site: https://schoolnutrition.org/news-publications/jcnm/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act 2010
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A