Research & Publications | Healthy Eating Research

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The societal costs and health impacts on obesity of BMI report cards in US schools

This study aimed to estimate the 10-year cost-effectiveness of school-based BMI report cards, a commonly implemented program for childhood obesity prevention in the US where student BMI is reported to parents/guardians by letter with nutrition and physical activity resources, for students in grades 3 to 7. A microsimulation model, using data inputs from evidence reviews More

Date: August 2023

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Diet Quality & Healthy Weight

Rural Schools: Challenges and Opportunities for School Meal Programs

Children and adolescents living in rural communities are at increased risk of obesity and food insecurity. Schools can play an essential role in addressing diet-related disparities, but multiple factors can impact the cafeteria environment and student participation in school meal programs. School nutrition professionals face unique challenges in meal operations. To develop solutions to these More

Date: November 2021

Resource Type: Research Review

Focus Areas: School & After School

Feeding Children and Maintaining Food Service Operations during COVID-19: A Mixed Methods Investigation of Implementation and Financial Challenges

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs are critical for the health and food security of U.S. schoolchildren, but access to these programs was disrupted by COVID-19 pandemic-related school closures in spring 2020. While temporary policy changes to the programs enabled school food authorities (SFAs) to pivot towards distributing More

Date: August 2021

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Nutrition Policy & Programs School & After School

Special Issue on School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study-I: Findings Related to Improving Diet Quality, Weight, and Disparities in U.S. Children

School meals are important contributors to the healthy diets of our nation’s children, especially those in food insecure households, according to new papers published in a special issue of the journal Nutrients. The papers address urgent policy challenges related to food security, childhood obesity, sugar consumption, and racial and ethnic disparities when it comes to More

Date: March 2021

Resource Type: Special Journal Issue

Focus Areas: Nutrition Policy & Programs School & After School

Addressing Equity in Rural Schools: Opportunities and Challenges for School Meal Standards Implementation

Few studies examine why rural public schools have weaker policies and practices related to school nutrition environments compared to their urban counterparts. It is important to understand this disparity because federal school meal standards aim for children to access health‐promoting nutrition environments. In this study, we identify challenges and opportunities for the implementation of school More

Date: August 2020

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: School & After School

Wellness School Assessment Tool Version 3.0: An Updated Quantitative Measure of Written School Wellness Policies

Schools play an important role in promoting student wellness. As directed by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, the US Department of Agriculture updated the requirements for written school wellness policies in 2016. The WellSAT (Wellness School Assessment Tool) is an online tool that provides a quantitative score for wellness policy comprehensiveness and strength. The WellSAT More

Date: July 2020

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: School & After School

Prioritizing Health in State ESSA Plans and Report Cards to Support the Whole Child

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law on December 10, 2015, reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. ESSA created an opportunity to broaden accountability beyond traditional subjects, such as math, to potentially focus on health and wellness in schools. States could select health and wellness-related indicators, and identify strategies More

Date: April 2020

Resource Type: Research Brief

Focus Areas: Nutrition Policy & Programs School & After School

Digital Food and Beverage Marketing Environments in a National Sample of Middle Schools: Implications for Policy and Practice

One promising approach to influence nutrition behavior is to limit food and beverage marketing to children. Children are a lucrative market and schools may be an effective setting in which to intervene. Studies have shown that marketing in schools is prevalent but little is known about digital marketing to students in the school setting. Researchers More

Date: September 2019

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Food Marketing School & After School

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

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

Date: March 2019

Resource Type: Grant Summary

Focus Areas: School & After School

Insights and Best Practices in the Inclusion of Healthy Eating, Physical Activity, and Wellness Provisions in State ESSA Plans and Implementation Efforts

The objectives of the project are: 1) conduct a 50-state (plus D.C.) analysis of state Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plans to identify nutrition, activity, and wellness-related provisions; 2) compare the results from the ESSA plan analysis to state nutrition, activity, and wellness-related laws to determine which states are collectively prioritizing these issues in policy More

Date: October 2018

Resource Type: Commissioned Research Project Summary

Focus Areas: School & After School