| o combat the overwhelming concern of obesity becoming a health epidemic across the United States, the federal government, through the Child Nutrition Act and Women, Infant, and Children [WIC] Reauthorization Act of 2004, mandated that all local school agencies have a) goals for nutrition education, physical activity, and other school wellness programs; b) nutrition guidelines for foods provided at school; c) assurance that guidelines for school meals meet United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines; d) a plan for monitoring the policy; and e) involvement from parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, the school board, school administrators, and the public in development of school wellness policy content.;School districts were thrust into the battle against obesity and expected to achieve profound results.;In this study, local school wellness policies were examined to determine compliance based on the established guidelines of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization of 2004 in order to answer the following research question: • To what extent are the key components outlined in the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 evident in Illinois school district wellness policies to meet the needs of the whole child?;School wellness policies from the 866 school districts in the state of Illinois were examined to determine trends, focus, and compliance with policies. A document analysis with a historical influence was used for this study. The historical research was used to systematically collect and critically evaluate the data related to the creation of school wellness policies. This discourse design also allows for the comparison of local school wellness policy mandates and laws as they relate to the five critical components mandated by the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 in an effort to establish where there is compliance. The five components include: • goals for nutrition education, physical activity, and other school wellness programs; • nutrition guidelines for foods provided at school; • assurance that guidelines for school meals meet United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines; • a plan for monitoring the policy; and • involvement from parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, the school board, school administrators, and the public in development of school wellness policy content (Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 [CNRA], 2004).;This preliminary study is based on the compliance of Illinois school districts with wellness policies according to the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. Of the 469 school districts with wellness policies, 467 (99%) districts are compliant with Mandate... |
