Appendix A: Summary of School Health Guidelines to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity

Guideline 1: Use a coordinated approach to develop, implement, and evaluate healthy eating and physical activity policies and practices

• Coordinate healthy eating and physical activity policies and practices through a school health council and school health coordinator.
• Assess healthy eating and physical activity policies and practices.
• Use a systematic approach to develop, implement, and monitor healthy eating and physical activity policies.
• Evaluate healthy eating and physical activity policies and practices.

Guideline 2: Establish school environments that support healthy eating and physical activity

• Provide access to healthy foods and physical activity opportunities and to safe spaces, facilities, and equipment for healthy eating and physical activity.
• Establish a climate that encourages and does not stigmatize healthy eating and physical activity.
• Create a school environment that encourages a healthy body image, shape, and size among all students and staff members, is accepting of diverse abilities, and does not tolerate weight-based teasing.

Guideline 3: Provide a quality school meal program and ensure that students have only appealing, healthy food and beverage choices offered outside of the school meal program

• Promote access to and participation in school meals.
• Provide nutritious and appealing school meals that comply with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
• Ensure that all foods and beverages sold or served outside of school meal programs are nutritious and appealing.

Guideline 4: Implement a comprehensive physical activity program with quality physical education as the cornerstone

• Require students in grades K--12 to participate in daily physical education that uses a planned and sequential curriculum and instructional practices that are consistent with national or state standards for physical education.
• Provide a substantial percentage of each student's recommended daily amount of physical activity in physical education class.
• Use instructional strategies in physical education that enhance students' behavioral skills, confidence in their abilities, and desire to adopt and maintain a physically active lifestyle.
• Provide ample opportunities for all students to engage in physical activity outside of physical education class.
• Ensure that physical education and other physical activity programs meet the needs and interests of all students.

Guideline 5: Implement health education that provides students with the knowledge, attitudes, skills, and experiences needed for lifelong healthy eating and physical activity

• Require health education from prekindergarten through grade 12.
• Implement a planned and sequential health education curriculum that is culturally and developmentally appropriate, addresses a clear set of behavioral outcomes that promote healthy eating and physical activity, and is based on national standards.
• Use curricula that are consistent with scientific evidence of effectiveness in helping students improve healthy eating and physical activity behaviors.
• Use classroom instructional methods and strategies that are interactive, engage all students, and are relevant to their daily lives and experiences.

Guideline 6: Provide students with health, mental health, and social services to address healthy eating, physical activity, and related chronic disease prevention

• Assess student needs related to physical activity, nutrition, and obesity, and provide counseling and other services to meet those needs.
• Ensure students have access to needed health, mental health, and social services.
• Provide leadership in advocacy and coordination of effective school physical activity and nutrition policies and practices.

Guideline 7: Partner with families and community members in the development and implementation of healthy eating and physical activity policies, practices, and programs

• Encourage communication among schools, families and community members to promote adoption of healthy eating and physical activity behaviors among students.
• Involve families and community members on the school health council.
• Develop and implement strategies for motivating families to participate in school-based programs and activities that promote healthy eating and physical activity.
• Access community resources to help provide healthy eating and physical activity opportunities for students.
• Demonstrate cultural awareness in healthy eating and physical activity practices throughout the school.

Guideline 8: Provide a school employee wellness program that includes healthy eating and physical activity services for all school staff members

• Gather data and information to determine the nutrition and physical activity needs of school staff members and assess the availability of existing school employee wellness activities and resources.
• Encourage administrative support for and staff involvement in school employee wellness.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate healthy eating and physical activity programs for all school employees.

Guideline 9: Employ qualified persons, and provide professional development opportunities for physical education, health education, nutrition services, and health, mental health, and social services staff members, as well as staff members who supervise recess, cafeteria time, and out-of-school--time programs

• Require the hiring of physical education teachers, health education teachers, and nutrition services staff members who are certified and appropriately prepared to deliver quality instruction, programs, and practices.
• Provide school staff members with annual professional development opportunities to deliver quality physical education, health education, and nutrition services.
• Provide annual professional development opportunities for school health, mental health, and social services staff members and staff members who lead or supervise out-of-school--time programs, recess, and cafeteria time.