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

A report from Healthy Food America describes the consumption and sales of sugary drinks in the United States over time and among demographic subgroups. Using a variety of national datasets, HFA reports that sugary drink consumption varies by age, race/ethnicity, and income. For example, adolescents and young adults consume the most sugary drinks. Nearly a third More

Good nutrition during a child’s earliest years sets the foundation for lifelong health. It provides the essential building blocks for brain development, healthy growth and a strong immune system. However, too many children in the U.S. are not getting a healthy diet – fewer than half of children eat a vegetable on any given day. More

Voices for Healthy Kids, a joint initiative of the American Heart Association and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,  has released its 2017 Progress Report,  Making Each Day Healthier for All Children. The report highlights the evolution of progress that has been made, as well as examples of policy successes related to physical activity and access to healthy food.

Richard Besser, MD, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), issued a comment in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) “Child Nutrition Programs: Flexibilities for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium Requirements” interim final rule. “The implementation of the current school nutrition standards has been a remarkably successful endeavor. We applaud the school More

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board convened a workshop exploring policies and programs at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels to limit sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in children ages 0 to 5. Topics included prevalence and trends in beverage intake among young children; beverage intake guidelines applicable to the age More

Nemours has released a new set of case studies developed as part of the CDC-funded National Early Care & Education Learning Collaborative project. For the last five years, Nemours and the CDC worked with states and communities to integrate support for childhood obesity prevention into their early childhood systems. Using the CDC’s Spectrum of Opportunities, More

A new study by the University of Connecticut Rudd Center evaluated whether top fast-food restaurant chains in the U.S. have implemented healthier kids’ meal default policies. Since 2013, McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Wendy’s, KFC, and Dairy Queen have pledged to remove sugar-sweetened fountain drinks from menu boards and/or offer healthier drinks and side dished with More

The Healthy Eating Research program is seeking a full time Research Coordinator to work at the program office at Duke University. Primary responsibilities include: managing contract set-up, invoicing, and payment; managing application and review processes for annual call for proposals; coordinating and planning local and national conferences and meetings; and providing technical assistance and budgetary More