The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented public health crisis, with significant effects on the economy and communities, especially those facing economic, housing, and food insecurity. At Healthy Eating Research, we are working to track and provide research on the implications of the pandemic on food environments and systems that impact healthy eating opportunities for children More

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released the first annual State of Childhood Obesity: Helping All Children Grow Up Healthy. The report includes the best available data on national and state childhood obesity rates, recommended policies to help address the epidemic, and stories of communities and individuals taking action across the nation. New data included in More

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Academy of Pediatrics and American Heart Association Recommend Breast Milk, Infant Formula, Water and Plain Milk for Babies and Kids (Princeton, NJ) September 18, 2019—Leading medical and nutrition organizations recommend breast milk, infant formula, water, and plain milk as part of a new set of comprehensive More

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released its first policy statement on “The Impact of Racism on Child and Adolescent Health.” AAP put out the call to action in their journal Pediatrics, describing the profound impact racism has on child health and the role of child health professionals in addressing racism. The statement covers: Racism More

While food insecurity is a year-round issue for many low-income families, summer can be a particularly challenging time as the school year ends and with it the food assistance provided by school meals. Recent research has examined this issue and what we know about summer nutrition programs that aim to provide nutrition assistance: A research More

On June 19, 2019, Healthy Eating Research released a call for proposals for research that identifies strategies that advance health equity and sheds light on the drivers of inequities related to nutritional disparities, dietary quality and patterns, and food security. We are looking for research studies focused on improving access to good nutrition, healthy foods, and More

The University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have released the annual County Health Rankings. The County Health Rankings show us where we live matters to how well and how long we live. An easy-to-use snapshot that compares counties within each state, the Rankings provide information on factors communities can More

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) developed a case study that provides insights into policy strategy and advocacy best practices that resulted in passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA). The case study outlines key lessons to help inform nutrition and public health policy initiatives, as well as continued More

Currently, there is no uniformity in states’ approaches to create and oversee programs to test for elevated lead in school drinking water. Many students in the U.S. attend public schools in states where not all taps are tested for lead. In states where water was testing and data were publicly available, nearly half of the More

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released a brief reporting new national and state-by-state obesity rates among 10- to 17-year-olds from the 2016 and 2017 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). Key findings include the persistence of racial and ethnic disparities with Black and Hispanic youth having the highest rates of obesity (22.5% and 20.6%, respectively.) More