Published: June 2015

ID #: 69298

Journal: Prev Chronic Dis

Authors: Ritchie LD, Yoshida S, Sharma S, Patel A, Homel Vitale E, Hecht K

See more related research

Share


Drinking water is promoted to improve beverage nutrition and reduce the prevalence of obesity. The aims of this study were to identify how water was provided to children in child-care settings and to determine the extent to which water access changed after a federal and state child-care care beverage policy was implemented in 2011 and 2012 in California. Two independent cross-sectional samples of licensed child-care providers completed a self-administered survey in 2008 (n=429) and 2012 (n=435). Water provision in California child-care settings improved significantly between samples of sites studied in 2008 and 2012. A larger percentage of child-care sites always served water with meals and snacks in 2012 than in 2008 (47.0% vs. 28.0%); and a larger percentage of sites made water easily and visibly available for children to self-serve both indoors (77.9% vs. 69.0%) and outside (78.0% vs. 69.0%) in 2012 compared with 2008. Sites that participated in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program had greater access to water indoors and outside than sites that did not participate. Room for improvement remains, as well as a need to determine optimal ways to provide water in child-care settings.

Related Research

September 2014

Policy Improves What Beverages are Served to Young Children in Child Care

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Agriculture began requiring that child-care sites participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) make drinking water available throughout the day and serve only low-fat or non-fat milk to children ages 2 years and older. In 2012, the California Healthy Beverages in Child Care law additionally required More

September 2011

Evaluating the Impact of a California Statute Regulating Beverages Served in Licensed Child-Care Settings

Because lifelong diet habits are shaped in early childhood, California Food Policy Advocates worked with the California Legislature to successfully pass legislation creating healthy beverage standards for all licensed child-care settings. California is among the first states to establish such standards for licensed child care. This project seeks to evaluate the impact of these standards. More

September 2024

Water Is K’é: Learning from the Navajo Community to Promote Early Child Health

Drinking water instead of sugary drinks is key to reducing health disparities. Since beverage habits are shaped by complex personal, community, and environmental factors, community input is critical to design any intervention promoting water. The research team worked with community partners to design a program to promote healthy beverage habits among young Navajo children. The More