The Effect of School Wellness Policies on Childhood Obesity in Rural America

Objective: In this systematic review, we compare and contrast the effect of school wellness policies on obesity reduction in rural versus urban school districts in the United States. Methods: A systematic review was conducted, using 5 databases. Results: Overall, school wellness policies resulted in clinically non-significant improvement in students' Body Mass Index (BMI), with few exceptions. Conclusion: A comprehensive and strong wellness policy may have only a statistically small impact on the percent of obesity within a school district. Best results are achieved when the tool is tailored, instead of using a template. However, we find that school wellness policies produce significant public health benefits not clearly reflected in student BMI values.