Studying and Documenting Industry Self-Regulation Strengths and Weaknesses in Addressing Food Marketing Practices that Contribute to Childhood Obesity

This project will examine the strengths and weaknesses of self-regulation in addressing food marketing practices that contribute to childhood obesity. Investigators will document the impact and effectiveness of the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (“CARU”) (the principal mechanism for self-regulation in this area) and the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (“Initiative”) (a recent development involving More

Examining the Financial Impact of a la Carte Foods in Kansas Public Schools

This project will characterize demographic and financial differences in the dependence on a la carte food sales among school food service programs. Specifically, the aims of this research are to: (a) classify and describe school districts according to their level of a la carte dependence, (b) explore key financial and demographic characteristics that distinguish low, More

Analyzing the Nature and Extent of Food Advertising During Children’s Programming on Spanish Language Television

The primary goal of this study is to evaluate the nutritional quality of the foods advertised on children’s programs on Spanish-language broadcast and cable channels, and to compare it to English-language channels. The study will examine a wide range of descriptive measures that include product type, persuasive theme/appeal, use of mascots, celebrities, licensed characters, contests, More

School Food Environments and Policies in U.S. Public Schools

Based on 2005 data, this study found that 97% of high schools and 82% of middle schools had vending machines, compared with 17% of elementary schools. In addition, 93% of high schools and 92% of middle schools sold food and beverages a la carte, and nearly 80% of these schools offered unhealthy a la carte More

Mapping School Food: A Policy Guide

School food environments are complex, particularly because they must function within a plethora of state, federal and local regulations. Individuals who work in this system-food service directors, superintendents, or others involved school food policy-are often left to their own devices to navigate the complex interplay of laws. In this study, legal researchers guide advocates in More

Measuring, Analyzing and Examining Food Spending and Nutritional Quality in Family Day Care Participants in the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program

The aim of this project is to examine how food costs and reimbursement rates impact the dietary quality of foods that are served in family day care homes. Taking advantage of a unique policy-analysis opportunity to assess the effects of different subsidy levels for providers in adjacent urban regions, this project will compare nutritional quality More

Analyzing Legal Factors Influencing the Food Environment in Extracurricular and Other School-Related Settings Outside School Administration Control

Extracurricular school settings are an essential part of the school food environment but are often outside direct school regulation or are poorly enforced. Using legal analyses, this project will produce three issues briefs on (i) school stores, events, and concessions; (ii) fundraising; and (iii) open campus policies. These briefs will provide an overview of each More