Evaluating the Impacts of School Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies on Child Health

This dissertation evaluates the impact of elementary school policies on child health behaviors and obesity in the United States. Two chapters address nutrition policies, two chapters address physical activity policies, and a final chapter estimates the health care cost savings associated with a decline in childhood obesity prevalence. The use of large national datasets allows for the investigation of disparities by child, school and regional factors. This is in contrast to other studies which are based on a limited geographic area or small, demographically homogeneous samples.