Healthy Eating Research | Building Evidence to Prevent Childhood Obesity

Latest News and Research

Ages 5-18 Beverage Recommendations

Experts convened by Healthy Eating Research from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Heart Association have developed evidence-based recommendations to guide healthier drink choices for kids ages 5 to 18. The recommendations address questions and concerns about sugar, caffeine, and other ingredients to promote better overall nutrition and health.

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focus areas

9.2%

of afterschool sites offered fruits or vegetables during snack

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Research & Publications See all

November 2025

Building a National Research Agenda

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) commitment to child obesity ends in December 2025, marking the conclusion of a two-decade investment in Healthy Eating Research (HER). As part of our RWJF legacy, HER is developing a national research agenda for policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) interventions and strategies to promote food and nutrition security, optimal More

October 2025

Upstream interventions in clinical settings focused on nutrition to prevent obesity during the first 1,000 days: A scoping review

Nutritional exposures during pregnancy and the first two years of a child’s life influence growth and risk for obesity. Upstream interventions that involve policy, systems, and/or environmental approaches may support equitable nutrition and healthy growth early in life. Yet little is known about application of these interventions in clinical settings. This scoping review characterized the More

September 2025

The Current State of Knowledge on SNAP Restrictions and Disincentives

Little is known about the impacts of SNAP restrictions on the health of program participants. This brief provides a narrative review of published evidence on SNAP restrictions and combined incentive-disincentive approaches, highlighting the approaches’ historical context, perceptions among program participants, and evidence of impact on SNAP participants’ purchases and health. The studies reviewed found mixed More