Cupcakes no more: Using community school partnerships to change birthday party policy in a local elementary school

Background: School policies that limit access to unhealthy snacks have proven to be an effective mechanism for reducing childhood obesity. In 2012, a pilot project began with Delaware Elementary to implement and evaluate a birthday party policy. The policy replaced the previous tradition of parent-driven treats with a child-driven choice between three healthy celebration options: extra recess, non-food items, or healthy snacks. This project was implemented as a partnership between the Healthy Living Alliance, a network of over 30 partners, and Springfield Public Schools (SPS). SPS is the largest district in Missouri, and 40% of all 5th graders are classified as overweight or obese. Purpose: This presentation will discuss the policy implementation process, district and partner engagement, implementation barriers, and lessons learned. Methodology & Results: Based on assessment by HLA, physical environment related to nutrition was one of the lowest scores across multiple schools (median score = 38%) and 81.8% of parents surveyed reported that limiting access to unhealthy foods is important to a healthy lifestyle. Pre and post assessment results showed an increased score in environment related to nutrition. Teacher surveys and parent and child focus groups will be held in spring 2013 to measure acceptability. Process evaluation has shown the collaboration of partners to be a necessary part in adaptation of the policy. Conclusion: Policy change was successful by leveraging a partnership between the school district and community resources. This initial success has provided feasibility information and a model for stakeholders to expand this policy into additional schools.