The Implementation of Local Wellness Policies in Mississippi Schools

An abstract of a study by Howie et al evaluating the degree of implementation of physical education/physical activity and health education components of the Local School Wellness policies in Mississippi in 2008 is presented. Schools are an ideal environment for implementing health intervention programs, but this can be a major challenge for most schools. Therefore, it was encouraging to see a high level of implementation of physical activity and nutrition education requirements in the state of Mississippi, where obesity rates are the highest in the nation. Future research needs to focus on changes to the health of the students in the state and to evaluate if the changes can be related to changes in health requirements in the schools.