Schools are an important setting for addressing childhood obesity. More than 54 million U.S. children attend school, and 8.4 million youth are in after-school programs located in schools, parks, and recreational centers. A substantial portion of school-aged children’s daily food and caloric intake occurs within the school and after-school environment. The aim of the research in this area is to understand how school and after-school food policies and environments can help prevent childhood obesity.
Fast Fact
School & After School
Research & Publications
September 2020
Schools Find Success in Reducing Sodium in Meals
Strong nutrition standards for school meals, consistent with evidence-based recommendations, position children for optimal health and wellbeing. Strong science supports the link between lowering sodium intake and better health. This new issue brief from Healthy Eating Research examines the recent history of sodium standards for school meals. It highlights current sodium intake … More
September 2020
Drinking water access in California schools: Room for improvement following implementation of school water policies
This study aimed to investigate how access to free drinking water in California public schools changed after implementation of 2010 federal and state school water policies. Repeated cross-sectional surveys were conducted with administrators in a random sample of California public schools, stratified by school type and urban-centric geography, from 2010 … More
September 2020
Urban School Food Infrastructure: Current Issues, Challenges, and Solutions
In the next year, an estimated 1 in 4 children will experience food insecurity (up from 1 in 6, pre-pandemic), disproportionately impacting children in low-income households and racial/ethnic minorities. To mediate loss of school meals during closures and reduce COVID-19 exposure, Congress authorized the USDA to permit local education authorities … More
August 2020
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 … More