title: Evaluating the Wellness School Assessment Tool for use in public health practice to improve school nutrition and physical education policies in New York.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Addressing the limitations of existing Local Wellness Policies (LWPs) and promoting their implementation remain priorities for health and education agencies. One gap has been the absence of a standard assessment to support LWP revision. During planning for an initiative to improve school nutrition and physical education policy, the Wellness School Assessment Tool (WellSAT) was evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five public health practitioners used WellSAT to assess 50 LWPs. A randomized, counterbalanced design ensured each LWP was coded twice by separate raters. Models evaluated the extent to which WellSAT ratings reflected differences in the LWPs and order, familiarity and rater effects. During field testing, 18 public health practitioners used WellSAT as part of a statewide public health initiative.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In pilot testing the majority of the variability in WellSAT scores (median = 88%; range = 76% to 100%) was attributable to differences between policies. Correlations between independent raters' strength and comprehensiveness scores were strong, r = .88 and r = .77, respectively. During field testing, WellSAT was well accepted by public health practitioners and members of the school community.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  WellSAT represents a reliable and feasible tool for health and education agencies to use in improving LWPs and aligning them with recognized standards.
authors.affiliation: Research Scientist, (ifb01@health.state.ny.us), New York State Department of Health, 1084 Corning Tower Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12237.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Brissette
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wales
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Connell
mesh_terms: D015982:Bias; D002648:Child; D004045:Dietary Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D005509:Food Dispensers, Automatic / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D006291:Health Policy; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D009518:New York; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation; D015980:Public Health Practice / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012572:School Health Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*
keywords: evaluation; health policy; public health