Status and Goals of Local School Wellness Policies in Virginia: A Response to the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004

By fall 2006 each school division participating in the National School Lunch Program was mandated to establish a local wellness policy. The study objective was to assess schools’ plans for the policy, including goals for food, nutrition education, and physical activity and evaluation. Surveys were administered to 132 School Health Advisory Board coordinators in Virginia in early 2006; 92 (69.7%) responded. The findings highlight gaps toward meeting minimum requirements for the policy and give guidance on how nutrition educators and researchers can provide expertise to optimize the policy and document progress and impacts on children’s health related to the policy.