Wellness Policy in Action Tool

A tool to help districts and schools implement wellness policies

The Wellness Policy in Action Tool (WPAT)  uses results from WellSAT 3.0 and School Health Index (SHI) assessments to examine the relationship between school district local school wellness policy and school-level health practices. The WPAT is easy to use and is completely confidential. This tool was developed in collaboration with the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Health.

How School Districts Can Use the WPAT

School districts can use WPAT to help meet the US Department of Agriculture’s triennial assessment requirements, including measuring how schools are following the local school wellness policy. This can help districts:

  • Understand if the wellness policy is consistently implemented in schools across the district.
  • Determine if schools are already implementing practices that could be incorporated into the district policy.
  • Gather information about new topics to incorporate into the wellness policy.
How Schools Can Use the WPAT

Schools can use WPAT to see how their school nutrition and physical activity practices align with their district’s local school wellness policy. This information can help schools:

  • Identify where implementation plans are needed to ensure that practices are consistent with current policies.
  • Share current practices that can be incorporated into the district policy.
  • Identify opportunities for new nutrition and physical activity practices to work toward.
WPAT Microlearning Videos

This series of five brief videos provides an overview of the WPAT and demonstrates how to navigate and use the tool, how to set up a user profile, how to complete the assessment, and how to interpret WPAT scores.

 
Module 1: Introduction

This module provides an overview of the WPAT.

Module 2: Creating a WPAT Account

This module describes how to set up a user profile in WPAT.

Module 3: Starting the Assessment

This module demonstrates how to navigate and use the WPAT tool.

Module 4: Completing Questions with Open Text Responses

This module describes the process of completing the open text responses at the end of the WPAT.

Module 5: Interpreting WPAT Scores

This module describes how to interpret WPAT scores.

US Department of Health and Human Services logo and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention logo
UCONN Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health logo