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Early childhood is a critical period for establishing a healthy diet and promoting healthy food preferences. Research in this area focuses on settings where children ages 0-5 spend their time, including preschools and child-care centers, as well as policies and practices that influence families’ ability to provide healthy foods and beverages in early childhood.
Research & Publications See all
July 2026
Forecasting WIC Funding Needs: Supporting Families, Strengthening Access
In partnership with Westat and with support from Healthy Eating Research, the National WIC Association (NWA) developed a new forecasting model to project funding needs of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) for Fiscal Year 2027. Report This report describes the model development, including methodology, as well as analysis conducted More
May 2026
A Pediatric Perspective on the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines
Clear, evidence-based guidance on what foods and beverages children and adolescents should consume—and in what amounts—is foundational for promoting healthy growth and preventing diet-related chronic disease across the life course. Yet many children and adolescents in the US continue to have diets of poor nutritional quality. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), issued every 5 More
May 2026
An Electronic Health Record-based Intervention to Facilitate Primary Care Referrals to WIC: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Despite benefits of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), many eligible children remain unenrolled. This study evaluated responses to an electronic health record (EHR)-embedded federal nutrition program (FNP) participation screening and WIC referral tool implemented within eight clinics during <5-year-well visits. Among 5,385 children, mean age at initial screening was More
May 2026
Assessing Caregiver Comfort With Linking the Health Care System and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
Integrating WIC referrals within clinical care may improve WIC uptake, data sharing, and nutrition/health outcomes, but little research has explored family perspectives about information exchange between health care providers and WIC regarding their child’s health. Better understanding family perceptions of information exchange could facilitate improvements in the design of effective, family-centered referral pathways. This study More