An Analysis of Georgia Schools’ Compliance and Implementation of Federally Mandated School Wellness Policies

Our nation’s youth face health challenges today that are drastically different from the health problems of youth in generations past. The drastic rise in childhood obesity rates prompted the 108th Congress to look for an innovative solution to the problem, mandating that each school district receiving federal funding for Free and Reduced Lunch must create and adopt a local wellness policy. This study examines whether relationships exist between Georgia’s school districts’ wellness policies and specific demographic characteristics of the district. Dependent variables include compliance, phase of implementation, and presence of a school health council. This study conducted univariate analysis using chi square and odds ratio coupled with binary logistic regression. Analysis shows that percent of minority students, as an independent variable, is significantly associated with compliance with the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act