Age Group: Preschool-age children (ages 3 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

The Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions for Reducing Obesity among Young Children through Healthy Eating, Physical Activity, and Screen Time

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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 More

Examining State-Level Strategies to Implement Child-Care Licensing Regulations on Healthy Eating, Physical Activity, and Screen Time for Children

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State child care licensing regulations, which specify the standards for practice to which child care providers must adhere to be licensed, can be a policy tool for ensuring that child care providers use healthy nutrition, physical activity, and screen time practices. However, what state agencies do to support child care providers in actually implementing these 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

Childhood Obesity: ECE Policy and Practice Special Journal Issue

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Childhood Obesity published a special theme journal issue on early care and education programs (ECE) policy and practice. It unites a group of outstanding researchers focusing on the role of policies and practices within ECE programs to support healthy practices. Each article addresses one or more important influences, including public policies, such as the federally 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

A National Research Agenda to Reduce Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Increase Safe Water Access and Consumption Among Zero- to Five-Year-Olds

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Early childhood is a critical period for developing food preferences and dietary patterns. Despite dietary recommendations to limit or eliminate sugary drinks in early childhood, children ages 0 to 5 frequently drink these beverages. There is currently a lack of evidence on effective policy, systems, and environmental strategies to reduce sugary drink consumption and provide More

A Systematic Review of Strategies to Reduce Sugar‐Sweetened Beverage Consumption Among 0‐Year to 5‐Year Olds

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Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption begins early and increases with age in the U.S., and there is robust evidence linking SSB consumption with negative health consequences. This systematic review synthesizes evidence from 27 studies on strategies aimed to reduce SSB consumption among 0- to 5-year-olds. Interventions took place primarily in healthcare settings, as well as preschool/daycare, 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

Participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program Is Associated with Healthier Nutrition Environments at Family Child Care Homes in Mississippi

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This study describes the foods and beverages offered, nutrition practices, and nutrition policies of family child care homes in Mississippi and differences by participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). A random sample of family child care homes that enroll 3- to 5-year-olds in Mississippi were examined through a self-report tool. Foods More