Effect of School Accountability Policies on Children’s Health

Stricter school accountability standards have changed the inner workings of elementary schools in the United States, raising test scores in the process. These changes have been particularly abrupt in schools labeled as failing under their states accountability regime. This study will assess whether children in schools just below the test score cutoffs are more likely More

Factors Associated with Successful Development and Implementation of School Wellness Policies

This project will be a natural experiment examining issues related to school wellness policy development and implementation, and changes in school nutrition environments as schools work to comply with the wellness policy mandate. The aims of this project are to describe adequacy of wellness policies submitted by Pennsylvania Local Education Agencies, assess level of policy More

Study of Environmental and Policy Factors Impacting Healthy Eating Behaviors for Low-Income Elementary Students in Colorado

This project is designed to identify and evaluate environmental and policy features related to healthy eating among elementary schools located throughout low-income, Hispanic and non-Hispanic, urban and rural Colorado. In a longitudinal design, student diet recalls and school level food-related sales records will be used to assess diet and eating patterns over time. Environmental and More

The Role of Child-Care Settings in Obesity Prevention

A majority of American children participate in non-parental child-care arrangements in child-care centers and homes. The child-care setting can play a major role in shaping children’s dietary intake, physical activity, and energy balance. In this article, the authors discuss trends in child-care use, child-care food and physical activity policies and environments, and obesity prevention interventions More

The Role of Schools in Obesity Prevention

Schools can play an important part in the national effort to prevent childhood obesity. More than 95 percent of American youth aged 5 to 17 are enrolled in school, and no other institution has as much continuous and intensive contact with children during the first two decades of life. Schools can promote good nutrition, physical More