Research & Publications | Healthy Eating Research

Focus Areas

Resource Types

Age Groups

Race/Ethnicity

“It has a lot to do with the cumbersome paperwork”: Barriers and facilitators of center-based early care and education (ECE) program participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federally-regulated feeding program that reimburses early care and education (ECE) programs for providing nutritious meals to low-income children. Participation in CACFP is voluntary and varies widely across states. This study assessed barriers and facilitators of center-based ECE program participation in CACFP and identified potential strategies More

Date: March 2023

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Early Childhood Nutrition Policy & Programs

The Child and Adult Care Food Program and young children’s health: a systematic review

The objective of this review was to summarize the evidence for the impact of CACFP on children’s diet quality, weight status, food insecurity, and cognitive development. Nineteen articles were reviewed, most of which had been published since 2012. Seventeen used cross-sectional designs. Twelve evaluated foods and beverages served; 4 evaluated dietary intake; 4 evaluated the More

Date: March 2023

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Early Childhood

Healthy Snacks and Drinks for Toddlers: A Qualitative Study of Caregivers’ Understanding of Expert Recommendations and Perceived Barriers to Adherence

Despite expert recommendations, most toddlers consume sugary drinks and more sweet and salty snack foods than fruits and vegetables as snacks. Studies have examined toddler caregivers’ reasons for providing sugary drinks, but few have examined the reasons for providing nutritionally poor snack foods. Researchers conducted focus groups in one low-income community to assess caregivers’ familiarity, More

Date: February 2023

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Beverages Early Childhood

A Summary of Evidence Related to Key Food Groups Targeted in the Proposed WIC Revisions

On November 17, 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced major food package revisions to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Among other changes, the proposed rule suggests removing juice from the food package, reducing the maximum allowance for milk, and requiring whole grain criteria in breakfast cereal. Therefore, More

Date: January 2023

Resource Type: Research Review

Focus Areas: Early Childhood Nutrition Policy & Programs

Policy, system, and environmental interventions addressing obesity and diet-related outcomes in early childhood education settings: A systematic review

Early childhood education (ECE) settings play an important role in child dietary intake and excess weight gain. Policy, systems, and environment (PSE) approaches have potential to reduce disparities in children at higher risk for obesity. The purpose of this review was to (1) characterize the inclusion of populations at higher risk for obesity in ECE More

Date: January 2023

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Early Childhood

Water is K’é: A Community-Based Intervention to Increase Healthy Beverage Consumption by Navajo Preschool Children

This research brief gives an overview of the Water is K’é intervention, conducted among Navajo Nation families. The intervention was delivered by early care and education teachers to households with children ages 2-5, and covered the cultural importance of water, health benefits of water, and alternatives to sugary drinks. At baseline, more than 70% of children already More

Date: December 2022

Resource Type: Research Brief

Focus Areas: Beverages Early Childhood

Experiences pertaining to child nutrition and care provision among early care and education stakeholders, sponsors, and center directors during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multi-method study

This study used multiple methods (interviews, survey) to assess the experiences of stakeholders, sponsors, and center-based early care and education (ECE) program directors pertaining to child nutrition and the provision of child-care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected across four states. Thematic analyses of interviews and descriptive methods were used to analyze the data More

Date: December 2022

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Early Childhood

Facilitators and barriers to family child care home participation in the U.S. Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

This paper describes facilitators, barriers, and potential strategies to promote participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) by family child care homes (FCCHs). This descriptive study occurred from January-May 2022 in Arizona and New York, two states with varying levels of CACFP participation. Stakeholders from three state-level CACFP-administering agencies, representatives of six More

Date: October 2022

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Early Childhood

Moving from Policy to Practice for Early Childhood Obesity Prevention: A Nationwide Evaluation of State Implementation Strategies in Childcare

Policies requiring childcare settings to promote healthy eating, physical activity, and limited screentime have the potential to improve young children’s health. However, policies may have limited impact without effective implementation strategies to promote policy adoption. In this mixed-methods study, we evaluated the type, quality, and dose of implementation strategies for state-level childcare licensing regulations focused More

Date: August 2022

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Early Childhood

Child and Adult Care Food Program: Impacts of COVID-19 Differences in Reimbursement Rates on Family Childcare Home Providers, Children, and Families

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), the largest U.S. nutrition program for childcare, provides tiered reimbursements to family childcare homes (FCCHs) to serve healthy foods to a large proportion of children from households with low incomes. Due to COVID-19, all FCCHs on CACFP temporarily received the higher Tier I reimbursement rate. The aims More

Date: July 2022

Resource Type: Grant Summary

Focus Areas: Early Childhood