Resources

 

• Nutrition Education

• Standards for USDA School Meals

• Nutrition Standards for Competitive and Other Foods and Beverages

• Physical Education & Physical Activity

• Wellness Promotion and Marketing

• Implementation, Evaluation & Communication

 

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Nutrition Education

 

Society for Public Health Education:

• Policy brief on health education in the Every Student Succeeds Act

 

Cairn Guidance:

• A Systems Approach to Integrating Health in Education

 

USDA:

• USDA Food and Nutrition Information Center
• USDA My Plate

 

Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior:

• Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior Website 
• Publications

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• Tips for Teachers: Promoting Healthy Eating and Physical Activity in the Classroom

 

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Standards for USDA School Meals

 

Alliance for a Healthier Generation:

• School Wellness Committee Toolkit
• Wellness Councils and Wellness Policies

 

Center for Science in the Public Interest:

• Healthier School Lunches

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• CDC Local Wellness Policies
• Putting Local School Wellness Policies into Action: Stories from School Districts and Schools
• Wellness Teams Work: A Guide for Putting Wellness Policies into Practice in Schools

 

The University of Illinois at Chicago:

• National Wellness Policy Study
• Food Service Directors: Speaking From Experience

 

USDA:

• Child Nutrition Programs

• Wellness Policies

 

ChangeLab Solutions:

• Wellness Policy Enforcement
• District Policy Restricting Food and Beverage Advertising on School Grounds

 

National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity:

• Model School Wellness Policies

 

National Association of State Boards of Education:

• State School Health Policy Database

 

Wellness Policy and Implementation Examples:

• California Project Lean

 

The Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project:

• School Meal Programs Innovate to Improve Student Nutrition

 

Shape America:

• State School Health Policy Matrix 2.0

 

National Collaborative on Education and Health:

• Report to the National Steering Committee

 

National Association of Chronic Disease Directors:

• A Guide for Incorporating Health and Wellness into School Improvement Plans
• A Guide for Communicating School Health Achievements

 

 

 

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Nutrition Standards for Competitive and Other Foods and Beverages

 

Berkeley Media Studies Group:

• Examining the public debate on school food nutrition guidelines: Findings and lessons learned from an analysis of news coverage and legislative debates

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• A comprehensive framework for addressing the school nutrition environment and services
• Competitive Foods in School

 

The Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project:

• Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project Website 

 

Alliance for a Healthier Generation:

• Snacks and Beverages
• Smart Snacks Product Calculator
• Smart Food Planner

 

Centers for Disease Control and Promotion

• Water Access in Schools

 

UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health

• Alternatives to Food Rewards
  

 

 

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Physical Education & Physical Activity

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Recess Planning in Schools
• Strategies for Recess in Schools
• Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool

 

Shape America:

• The Essential Components of Physical Education
• SHAPE America Website (formerly AAHPERD)
• Guide for Physical Education Policy

 

 

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Wellness Promotion and Marketing

 

Berkeley Media Studies Group:

• Eye on Marketers
• Toolkit on Stopping Junk Food Marketing to Kids (English)
• Toolkit on Stopping Junk Food Marketing to Kids (Spanish)
• Stopping Junk Food Marketing to Kids Video (English)
• Stopping Junk Food Marketing to Kids Video (Spanish)
• Target Marketing Soda & Fast Food: Problems with Business as Usual (English)
• Target Marketing Soda & Fast Food: Problems with Business as Usual (Spanish) 
• The Soda and Fast Food Industries Target their Marketing Towards Mothers of Color (English) 
• The Soda and Fast Food Industries Target their Marketing Towards Mothers of Color (Spanish) 

 

ChangeLab Solutions:

• District Policy Restricting Food and Beverage Advertising on School Grounds

 

Other Relevant Websites:

• Digital Ads: Exposing How Marketers Target Youth
• Center for Science in the Public Interest
• Food Marketing Workgroup
• Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood

 

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Implementation, Evaluation & Communication

Action for Healthy Kids:

• Parent Toolkit
• Tools for Schools

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• School Health Guidelines
• School Health Index
• Tips for Teachers: Promoting Healthy Eating and Physical Activity in the Classroom

 

Healthy Schools Campaign:

• ESSA Implementation: Key Opportunities to Support Health and Wellness
• State ESSA Plans to Support Student Health and Wellness: A Framework for Action

 

National Association of Chronic Disease Directors:

• Speaking Education's Language: A Guide For Public Health Professionals Working in the Education Sector

 

ChangeLab Solutions:

• National Policy & Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity (NPLAN)

 

Other Organizations with Helpful Resources:

• African American Collaborative Obesity Research Network
• Alliance for a Healthier Generation
• Voices for Healthy Kids

• Public Health Advocacy Institute
• Public Health Law Center
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

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Research Using the WellSAT

Schwartz MB, Piekarz-Porter E, Read MA, Chriqui JF. Wellness School Assessment Tool Version 3.0: An Updated Quantitative Measure of Written School Wellness Policies. Prev Chronic Dis 2020;17:190373. https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2020/19_0373.htm

Joyner H, Weymouth L, Skalitzky E, Hillert S. Wisconsin School Wellness Policies After Federal Legislation Change: Understanding Mechanisms of Policy Improvement. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2020.08.082  

Meendering JR, Skinner MM, McCormack LA. Model School-District Wellness Policies Warrant Improvements in Comprehensiveness and Strength. Journal of School Health. 2020. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12975

Komakech, JJ, Hildebrand DA. The Association Between School Health Promotion Programs and School Wellness Policies. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2020; 000: 1-5. DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2020.05.004

LeGros, TA, Jones B, Jacobs L, Orzech KM, Torbert K, Martinez SH. A case study of a new state model for assessing local wellness policies. J Sch Health. 2019; 89: 191-199. DOI: 10.1111/josh.12728

Eggert, E., Overby, H., McCormack, L., & Meendering, J. (2018). Use of a Model Wellness Policy May Not Increase the Strength and Comprehensiveness of Written School Wellness Policies. Journal of School Health, 88(7), 516-523. doi: 10.1111/josh.12635.

Harvey, SP., Markenson, D., & Gibson. CA. (2018). Assessing School Wellness Policies and Identifying Priorities for Action: Results of a Bi-State Evaluation. Journal of School Health, 88(5), 359-369. doi: 10.1111/josh.12619

Francis, E., Hivner, E., Hoke, A., Ricci, T., Watach, A., & Kraschnewski, J. (2017). Quality of local school wellness policies for physical activity and resultant implementation in Pennsylvania schools. Journal of Public Health. Doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdx130

Meendering, J., Kranz, E., Shafrath, T., & McCormack, L. (2016). Bigger???Better: The Comprehensiveness and Strength of School Wellness Policies Varies by School District Size. Journal of School Health, 86(9), 653-659. doi: 10.1111/josh.12419

Hoffman, P.K., Davey, C.S., Larson, N., Gannon, K.Y., Hanson, C., & Nanney, M.S. (2016). School district wellness policy quality and weight-related outcomes among high school students in Minnesota. Health Education Research, 31(2), 234-246. doi: 10.1093/her/cyv101

Brissette, I., Wales, K., O'Connell, M. (2013). Evaluating the Wellness School Assessment Tool for use in public health practice to improve school nutrition and physical education policies in New York. Journal of School Health, 83(11), 757-762. doi: 10.1111/josh.12091

Schwartz, M.B., Lund, A.E., Grow, M., McDonnell, E., Probart, C., Samuelson, A., Lytle, L. (2009) A comprehensive coding system to measure the quality of school wellness policies. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 109(7), 1256-1262, doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2009.04.008