Childhood Obesity published a special theme journal issue on early care and education programs (ECE) policy and practice. It unites a group of outstanding researchers focusing on the role of policies and practices within ECE programs to support healthy practices. Each article addresses one or more important influences, including public policies, such as the federally funded Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) or state licensing standards, facility-level policies for physical activity or screen-time, and food procurement practices, to mention a few. This supplement is the first to address early care and education settings, both child care centers and family child care homes, to illustrate and guide best practices for healthy weight development. The special supplement was supported by Healthy Eating Research and the Early Childhood working group, a collaboration between HER and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network (NOPREN). The supplement is dedicated to Susie Nanney, a champion of promoting population health and reducing health disparities, who worked to improve children’s and family health in underserved and rural communities, including in early care and education settings.
Childhood Obesity: ECE Policy and Practice Special Journal Issue
Related Research
November 2020
Reducing Digital Marketing of Infant Formulas
Breastfeeding protects against overweight and obesity, asthma, eczema, and type-II diabetes, and has long-term health benefits for women. The health benefits of breastfeeding are so valuable that in 1981, the World Health Organization established the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes (WHO Code) that prohibits marketing infant formula to … More
November 2020
Effect of a Home-Visiting Intervention to Reduce Early Childhood Obesity Among Native American Children
The objective of this study was to assess the impact of a brief home-visiting approach, Family Spirit Nurture (FSN), on sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, responsive parenting and infant feeding practices, and optimal growth through 12 months post partum. This study was a 1:1 randomized clinical trial comparing FSN with an … More
July 2020
Serving Their Needs: A Qualitative Examination of Nutrition Policy Implementation in the Early Care and Education Setting
Identifying strategies to assist children in establishing healthy habits is essential to reduce the risk of childhood obesity. The Early Care and Education (ECE) setting is ideal for the implementation of obesity prevention practices. However, there are barriers present for implementing nutrition policies in this setting. This report explores the … More