Age Group: Elementary-age children (grades K to 5)

The Academic, Behavioral, and Health Influence of Summer Child Nutrition Programs: A Narrative Review and Proposed Research and Policy Agenda

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Since 1975, the US Department of Agriculture has sponsored the Summer Food Service Program as a nationwide strategy for providing nutritious meals to children and youth (aged 18 years or younger) in low-income communities during the summer months. Many programs are sponsored by community organizations as well as school districts that may offer the program More

Examining differences in the implementation of school water-quality practices and water-access policies by school demographic characteristics

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Ensuring safe, accessible drinking water in schools is a national health priority. The objective of this study was to identify whether there are differences in water quality, availability, and education- related practices in schools by demographic characteristics. In 2017–2018, we analyzed data from the 2014 School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS), a nationally representative, More

Studying the Community Eligibility Provision’s Broad Impact–On Child Nutrition, Health, Academics, School Attendance, and Family Food Security

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In 2010, the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) initiated a number of major changes in child nutrition programs, including the establishment of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Implemented nationwide in SY 2014/15 to increase school meal participation and improve food security among at-risk children, the CEP More

Conducting a Large-Scale Surveillance of Public School Environments to Advance Wellness-Related Practices, With a Focus on Rural Schools

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Rural disparities in health behaviors and weight status jeopardize the well-being of millions of Americans. Compared to urban children, rural children have higher rates of obesity and consume more calories, less fruit, and fewer vegetables. A health-promoting school environment can modify risk behaviors, and periodic assessment of school environments provides crucial information about opportunities for More

Developing and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Pictorial Health Warnings on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages to Overcome Language and Literacy Barriers

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Childhood obesity is a major public health problem in the U.S. among racial and ethnic minorities, including among the growing Latino population in the U.S. One promising but understudied policy for addressing childhood obesity is requiring health warnings on the front of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) containers. Pictorial warnings in particular hold promise for overcoming language More

State Policies on Testing Drinking Water for Lead in U.S. Schools

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This Brief summarizes select characteristics of state-level policies and programs to test for lead in school drinking water. It is based on a study from researchers at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of California Nutrition Policy Institute. The full results of the study, study methods, and state profiles More

Parents’ Reports of Fast-Food Purchases for Their Children: Have They Improved?

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Few research studies have examined the menu items that parents purchase for their children at fast-food restaurants or their attitudes about healthier kids’ meals. The purpose of this research was to document specific menu items that parents reported purchasing for their children at the top fast-food restaurant chains, attitudes about the restaurants, frequency of fast-food More

Implementing a novel electronic health record approach to track child sugar-sweetened beverage consumption

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Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is a risk factor for childhood obesity. Including this measure in electronic health records (EHR) could enhance clinical care and facilitate research on this topic. We implemented a single-item, EHR screening question for SSB and 100% fruit juice at 8 pediatric practices affiliated with a North Carolina academic medical center. From More

Survey of Afterschool Programs Suggests Most Offer Fruit and Vegetables Daily

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This study estimated the frequency and quality of fruit and vegetables offered during snack in U.S. afterschool programs and examined program-level factors associated with offering them, including awareness and use of the National AfterSchool Association Healthy Eating and Physical Activity standards. Data was collected from 684 National AfterSchool Association members and their colleagues through an More

Assessing Beverage Intake in Children and Adolescents: State of the Science, Recommendations, and Resources for Evaluation

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This report serves as a guide to assist researchers in the selection of beverage intake assessment methods. The report begins with a description of several key issues to consider when assessing beverage intake in children and adolescents, and then moves into a review of five methods for assessing beverage consumption. The review compares assessment methods by More