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

Home visiting interventions have been extensively studied and demonstrated to be effective in improving many maternal and child health outcomes. Early childhood nutrition education and obesity prevention has largely not been implemented within the context of home visiting, but holds potential for impacting children’s health, development, and learning. This article provides new insights into specific More

Among infants, approximately 14% to 26% consume SSBs during the first year of life, leading to a 2-fold higher odds of obesity at age 6 years compared with counterparts with no SSB intake. This study assessed the relationship between parental sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) attitudes and SSB consumption during the first 1,000 days in Hispanic/Latino families. More

A new report from the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition presents findings from an evaluation for the USDA FINI grant program. The results can inform the future of healthy food incentive programs. FINI is a program that can improve food access, reduce food insecurity, decrease health care costs, support local food systems and stimulate local More

Despite the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ recommendation to limit added sugar intake to less than 10 percent of daily calories for children 2 years and older, almost two thirds of children ages 2 to 5 do not meet this recommendation, with the largest source of added sugars in their diet coming from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). More

Attending a school with an active wellness committee is associated with having a lower BMI, eating breakfast more frequently, and consuming less sugary drinks, according to a recent study. The study used a sample of around 5,000 children from more than 400 schools. The authors suggest that, given this beneficial association, schools should encourage more More

A new systematic review examined strategies to reduce sugary drink consumption among 0- to 5-year-olds. Successful strategies included in-person individual education, in-person group education, passive education (e.g., pamphlets), use of technology, training for childcare/healthcare providers, and changes to the physical access of beverages. What is needed from future studies? The authors call for more methodologically rigorous More