School district wellness policy quality and weight-related outcomes among high school students in Minnesota

• Published in: Health education research 2016-04, Vol.31 (2), p.234-246
• Main Authors: Hoffman, Pamela K., Davey, Cynthia S., Larson, Nicole, Grannon, Katherine Y., Hanson, Carlie, Nanney, Marilyn S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Body Composition; Body Mass Index; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet; Disadvantaged Schools; Ecology; Economically Disadvantaged; Exercise; Health Behavior; Health Education - organization & administration; Health Education - standards; Health Policy; Health Promotion - organization & administration; Health Promotion - standards; Health technology assessment; High School Students; Humans; Lunch Programs; Minnesota; Nutrition Instruction; Nutrition Policy; Obesity; Obesity - epidemiology; Original; ORIGINAL ARTICLES; Overweight - epidemiology; Physical Activities; Physical Activity Level; Physical Education; Physical Education and Training - organization & administration; Public Schools; Rating Scales; School Districts; School Health Services - organization & administration; School Health Services - standards; School Policy; Scores; State Surveys; Wellness
• ISSN: 0268-1153; 1465-3648
• DOI: 10.1093/her/cyv101

Weight-related outcomes were examined among high school students in Minnesota public school districts according to the quality of district wellness policies. Wellness policy strength and comprehensiveness were scored using the Wellness School Assessment Tool (WellSAT) for 325 Minnesota public school districts in 2013. The associations between WellSAT scores and district-level means of high school student responses to a statewide survey of health behaviors were examined in this ecologic study. WellSAT Total Strength and Total Comprehensiveness scores were positively associated with both student mean Body Mass Index (BMI) percentile (Strength: P = 0.018, Comprehensiveness: P = 0.031) and mean percent overweight or obese (Strength: P = 0.008, Comprehensiveness: P = 0.026), but only in districts with >50% of students eligible for Free or Reduced-Price Lunches (FRPLs), or ‘high FRPL districts’. WellSAT Physical Education and Physical Activity subscale scores were also positively associated with the mean days per week students engaged in physical activity for ≥ 60 min in high FRPL districts (Strength: P = 0.008, Comprehensiveness: P = 0.003) and in low FRPL districts (