Michigan School Wellness Policies: Does District Size Impact Policy Development and Implementation?
Location
Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall
Description
PURPOSE: Current school wellness policies vary in terms of strength, comprehensiveness and implementation. Preliminary studies identify factors associated with strength and implementation should be incorporated in school policies. Additional research is needed in regards to district size, implementation of wellness policies, and implications of community partnerships related to such policies. PROCEDURES: Data was collected via a 40-item survey with questions assessing policy implementation and community partnerships. An invitation to complete the electronic survey was sent to a random sample of secondary school principals within Michigan. Forty three Michigan high school principals completed the survey, district policies were then collected for those who completed the corresponding survey. A total of thirty-one policies were analyzed using the WellSAT 2.0 by two coders and checked for inter-rater reliability. Results from the surveys and policy analysis were then compared using correlations, Kruskal Wallis and a test for independent correlation. OUTCOME: There is a significant difference in the distribution of school wellness policy implementation across district sizes. Within district classes, several relationships are significant, including; policy comprehensiveness and strength, and policy implementation and community partnerships. The relationship between policy implementation and community partnerships is more significant at certain district size levels. IMPACT: Large inconsistencies between district policies within the state indicate opportunity for public health intervention and assistance in forming, implementing and evaluating school wellness policy and environment.
Michigan School Wellness Policies: Does District Size Impact Policy Development and Implementation?
Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall
PURPOSE: Current school wellness policies vary in terms of strength, comprehensiveness and implementation. Preliminary studies identify factors associated with strength and implementation should be incorporated in school policies. Additional research is needed in regards to district size, implementation of wellness policies, and implications of community partnerships related to such policies. PROCEDURES: Data was collected via a 40-item survey with questions assessing policy implementation and community partnerships. An invitation to complete the electronic survey was sent to a random sample of secondary school principals within Michigan. Forty three Michigan high school principals completed the survey, district policies were then collected for those who completed the corresponding survey. A total of thirty-one policies were analyzed using the WellSAT 2.0 by two coders and checked for inter-rater reliability. Results from the surveys and policy analysis were then compared using correlations, Kruskal Wallis and a test for independent correlation. OUTCOME: There is a significant difference in the distribution of school wellness policy implementation across district sizes. Within district classes, several relationships are significant, including; policy comprehensiveness and strength, and policy implementation and community partnerships. The relationship between policy implementation and community partnerships is more significant at certain district size levels. IMPACT: Large inconsistencies between district policies within the state indicate opportunity for public health intervention and assistance in forming, implementing and evaluating school wellness policy and environment.