Focus Area: School & After School

Observations of Drinking Water Access in School Food Service Areas Before Implementation of Federal and State School Water Policy, California, 2011

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This article discusses the results of a study that examined the provision of water and student water consumption in food service areas (FSA) in a random sample of San Francisco, California Bay Area schools. Barriers to and strategies for implementing federal and state drinking water requirements were also examined. Researchers found that 14 of 24 More

Consumption of Sports Drinks by Children and Adolescents. A Research Review

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Children’s and adolescents’ consumption of sports drinks is increasing. Given the already elevated levels of added sugar in the American diet and its detrimental impact on health, the increased consumption of sports drinks among youths in recent years is of growing concern for parents, health professionals, and public health advocates. This research review examines the More

Differential Associations Between the Food Environment Near Schools and Childhood Overweight Across Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Grade

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This paper discusses the results of a study that tested whether the associations between franchised fast-food restaurants or convenience store density near schools and childhood overweight varied by race/ethnicity, sex, and grade. Using data for 926,018 racially/ethnically diverse children in fifth, seventh, or ninth grade in 6,362 public California schools, researchers documented four findings in More

Strength and Comprehensiveness of District School Wellness Policies Predict Policy Implementation at the School Level

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This study examined 151 written district school wellness policies in Connecticut and found that significant improvement in school-level implementation of policies was reported after written policies were adopted. Stronger and more comprehensive written policies predicted significantly greater implementation of practices and policies at the school level. Some sociodemographic characteristics predicted the strength of wellness policies. More

Consumption of Sports Drinks by Children and Adolescents. An Issue Brief

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Children’s and adolescents’ consumption of sports drinks is increasing. Given the already elevated levels of added sugar in the American diet and its detrimental impact on health, the increased consumption of sports drinks among youths in recent years is of growing concern for parents, health professionals, and public health advocates. This research review examines the More

Healthy Eating in Out-of-School Time: The Promise and the Challenge

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This paper discusses the results of a qualitative study which explored childhood obesity and healthy eating concepts among out-of-school time program administrators. Researchers found that while program administrators were concerned about childhood obesity, they identified four main barriers to serving healthy foods: food procurement, budget, staff issues, and facilities. They also found that while having More

Measures of the Food Environment

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This website provides a compilation of articles that include community-level measures of the food environment, as well as some of the instruments themselves. The food environment is defined to include food stores, restaurants, schools and worksites. This website is updated on a weekly basis.