Early childhood is an important period for interventions to prevent obesity, before poor diet and physical activity behaviors become entrenched and related chronic diseases develop. To date there are still few programs that have been evaluated using experimental study designs that demonstrate impacts on young children’s weight. As a result, it is difficult to know which interventions will truly have an impact. This brief compiles research conducted by the Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study (CHOICES) on interventions that impact young children. The brief provides an overview of the goals of cost-effectiveness analysis, the evidence thus far on the cost-effectiveness of different strategies to prevent obesity in the places where very young children (0- to 5-year-olds) live, learn, and play, and the evidence that is still needed for informed decision-making.
Published: March 2019
ID #: 1108
Publisher: Healthy Eating Research, The CHOICES Project at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Authors: Kenney E, Cradock A, Resch S, Giles C, Gortmaker S
Keywords: Child Care/Preschool, Food advertising, Nutrition standards, Sugar-sweetened beverages, Taxes
Focus Area: Early Childhood
Age Groups: Pregnant women, infants and toddlers (ages 0 to 2), Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5)
Resource Type: Research Brief
Related Research
June 2024
CACFP Family Childcare Home Sponsor Perspectives – Serious Deficiency Challenges
The federal Child and Adult Care Food Program, commonly known as CACFP, ensures over 4.2 million children, mostly in families with low income, receive nutritious meals and snacks in childcare. However, not all qualifying childcare providers participate in this beneficial program. Research suggests that the serious deficiency process, designed to ensure program integrity, may hinder MoreApril 2024
Height and Weight Measurement and Communication With Families in Head Start: Developing a Toolkit and Establishing Best Practices
Head start (HS) programs are required to collect children’s height and weight data. Programs also communicate these results to families. However, no standardized protocol exists to guide measurements or communicate results. The purpose of this article was to describe the development of a measurement toolkit and best practices for communication. HS programs contributed to the MoreNovember 2023