State Lawmaker's Views on Childhood Obesity and Related School Wellness Legislation

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND School wellness legislation has potential to impact the health of children and alter the obesity crisis in the United Sates. Little is known about how state lawmakers perceive child wellness legislation effectiveness relative to obesity prevention. Our purpose was to understand s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of school health 2020-04, Vol.90 (4), p.257-263
Main Authors: Killian, Chad M., Kern, Ben D., Ellison, Douglas W., Graber, Kim C., Woods, Amelia Mays
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Body Weight
Budgets
Child Health
Childhood
Childhood obesity
Content analysis
Debriefing
Ecological studies
Financial Support
Guardians
Health Promotion
Law Enforcement
Legislation
legislator perspectives
Legislators
Nursing
Obesity
Parent Role
Prevention programs
Public Officials
school health policy
school wellness policy
social ecological model
State Legislation
State Policy
Student Behavior
Wellness
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Summary:ABSTRACT BACKGROUND School wellness legislation has potential to impact the health of children and alter the obesity crisis in the United Sates. Little is known about how state lawmakers perceive child wellness legislation effectiveness relative to obesity prevention. Our purpose was to understand state lawmakers' perceptions of childhood obesity and school wellness policies relative to the Social Ecological Model (SEM). METHODS Twenty‐one state representatives and nine state senators from one US state completed in‐depth interviews. Member checks and peer debriefing occurred throughout data collection and analysis. Transcripts were coded and triangulated. A conventional content analysis generated consistent themes. RESULTS Five main themes developed: (1) child overweight and obesity is problematic; (2) current legislation is ineffective; (3) funding and enforcing child wellness legislation is difficult; (4) it is difficult to legislate personal behavior; and (5) efforts from other levels of the SEM are more effective at promoting wellness. CONCLUSIONS Lawmakers understand negative impacts of child obesity, but perceive immediate legislative issues like budgetary concerns inhibit robust policy‐oriented action. Participants believe parents, guardians, and individuals should ultimately be responsible for child wellness. Community, school, and family efforts to address childhood obesity and support wellness may be more effective in achieving positive outcomes than state and federal policy.
ISSN:0022-4391
1746-1561
DOI:10.1111/josh.12871