This document outlines a research proposal to evaluate schools participating in the HealthierUS School Challenge program in Illinois. The study aims to determine what factors predict schools' ability to make changes to improve nutrition and physical activity. It will survey school food service directors about school characteristics like income levels, location, and existing wellness policies. Analysis of responses may show relationships between these factors and schools' success in the Challenge program. The proposal provides background on childhood obesity issues and literature reviewing past studies on school food environments and implementation of nutrition standards.

1. EVALUATING THE HEALTHIER US
SCHOOL CHALLENGE IN ILLINOIS
A Research Proposal by Maddie
Martini

2. OVERVIEW
• The National School Lunch Program feeds more than 31 million children
daily (U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service,
2013a)
• After the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 was signed into law,
the USDA worked with Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Campaign to
create a program to promote nutritious food choices and physical
activity in schools
 The HealthierUS School Challenge
• The HealthierUS School Challenge recognizes schools making changes
to improve the school food environment and facilitate physical activity
• No study has yet been done to compare schools participating and not
participating in the HealthierUS School Challenge

3. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
• To evaluate the characteristics
of schools that successfully
participate in the HealthierUS
School Challenge
• To determine which factors
within a school system, if any,
can predict a school’s ability
to facilitate change in the
school food environment

4. MINI-REVIEW OF LITERATURE
• Rates of childhood overweight and obesity in the U.S.
rank among the highest of developed countries around the
world (Ogden, Carroll, Kit & Flegal, 2014; Wang &
Lobstein, 2006)
• 2013: Implementation of the CNRA 2004 (prioritizing
high-nutrient, non-energy dense foods/drinks) was most
effective in schools with the highest enrollment of students
participating in FRP; rural schools less likely to have
healthy eating strategies and more likely to allow ads of
candy, fast food, and soft drinks (Nanney, Davey, & Kubik,
2013)

5. MINI-REVIEW OF LITERATURE
• 2012: Implementation of the CNRA 2004 was more likely
in public vs. private schools, including having fresh fruit at
lunch, non-commercial food sources, a health advisory
council, and a food nutrition professional on staff (Turner &
Chaloupka, 2012)
• 2012: School Foodservice Directors with credentials are
more likely to implement food policies and practices than
those without credentials; the most common perceived
barrier to implementation of food policies was lack of
funds (Mincher, Symons, & Thompson, 2012)

6. METHOD
• Sample: School Foodservice Directors
• Employed by public elementary and middle schools in the state of Illinois
• Schools with HealthierUS School Challenge awards will be determined by
the list on the USDA website and by self-declaration
• Distribution: Total Design Method
• Three-wave mailing guidelines (Hoddinott & Bass, 1986)
1. Initial Mailing
2. 1-week follow-up with reminder
3. 3-week follow-up with replacement survey
4. 7-week follow-up with replacement survey
• Analysis: QSR Nvivo Software, which is best for qualitative data

7. INSTRUMENT
• Self-created survey, including questions about:
•Income level of families in the school district
•Percentage of minority students
•Location of school (urban, rural, suburbs)
•Previous implementation of other nutrition- or health-related initiatives
•Presence of multidisciplinary wellness committee in the school district
•Use of food-based rewards in classrooms
•The education/credential level of foodservice directors
•Modeled after survey by Bridging the Gap, which surveys schools
about topics relevant to childhood obesity

8. QUESTIONS?

9. REFERENCES
Hoddinott, S. N. & Bass, M. J. (1986). The Dillman total design survey method. Canadian Family
Physician, 32, 2366-2368. Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2328022/
Mincher, J. L., Symons, C. W., & Thompson, A. (2012). A comparison of food policy and practice
reporting between credentialed and noncredentialed Ohio school foodservice directors. Journal of
the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 112(12), 2035-2041. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2012.06.366
Nanney, M. S., Davey, C. S., & Kubik, M. Y. (2013). Rural disparities in the distribution of policies
that support healthy eating in US secondary schools. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and
Dietetics, 113, 1062-1068. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2013.04.021
Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B. K., & Flegal, K. M. (2014). Prevalence of childhood and adult
obesity in the United States, 2011-2012. Journal of the American Medical Association, 311(8), 806-
814.
Turner, L., & Chaloupka, F. J. (2012). Slow progress in changing the school food environment:
Nationally representative results from public and private elementary schools. Journal of the
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 112(9), 1380-1389. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2012.04.017
U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (2013b). National School Lunch Program
fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/NSLPFactSheet.pdf
Wang, Y., & Lobstein, T. (2006). Worldwide trends in childhood overweight and obesity.
International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, 1(1), 11-25.