Use of School Wellness Policy Templates in One Texas Public Health Region: A Mixed-Methods Analysis.

BACKGROUND

Federal law requires most school districts to develop school wellness policies (SWPs), which state agencies assist in by providing templates. Templates provide standard language, which districts may edit for numerous reasons. We aimed to identify the frequency/consistency of template usage and identify the types of edits districts make when using SWP templates.

METHODS

We identified SWPs (N = 117) and templates (N = 2) from districts in 1 Texas public health region. We developed template specific coding guides, which allowed us to examine the frequency SWPs used template text within multiple areas (eg, nutrition goals, reporting). We also collected/categorized SWP edits from the template text and conducted a thematic analysis of locally developed SWPs and SWP templates.

RESULTS

Of 117 SWPs, 81.2% used a 2020 template, 13.7% used a 2005 template, and 5.1% created their own SWP. Across template-based SWPs, 44 content edits (0.4 per policy) occurred in 9 categories. Thematic analysis revealed: (1) locally developed SWPs created an informed mission statement linked to their goals; (2) Locally developed SWPs provided details that the current template includes in wellness plans.

CONCLUSIONS

Most districts used exact template language when writing their SWP. Adding spaces where districts can specify details could improve SWP content.