School wellness team best practices to promote wellness policy implementation

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• School Nutrition
• Health Education

Background:

• Schools with wellness teams show higher rates of implementing federally mandated Local Wellness Policies (LWPs).
• Existing best practices for wellness teams lack robust empirical evidence.
• Understanding the link between wellness team practices and LWP implementation is crucial for school health initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between specific wellness team best practices and the implementation levels of Local Wellness Policies (LWPs).
• To determine if a composite score of wellness team practices predicts LWP implementation.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was administered to school wellness leaders and administrators in Maryland during the 2012-2013 school year.
• The survey assessed Local Wellness Policy (LWP) implementation (no, low, high) and six key wellness team best practices.
• Multi-level multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate associations.

Main Results:

• Wellness teams were present in 44% of surveyed schools, with varying levels of LWP implementation.
• Key practices associated with high LWP implementation included setting goals, meeting quarterly or more, and having student representation.
• A higher composite score for active wellness teams significantly increased the likelihood of high LWP implementation by 41%.

Conclusions:

• Wellness teams adhering to best practices are more effective in implementing Local Wellness Policies (LWPs).
• Interventions should prioritize the establishment of wellness teams with recommended structures and activities.
• Findings support recommendations for wellness teams from the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.