Resource Type: Journal Article

The Wellness Child Care Assessment Tool: A Measure to Assess the Quality of Written Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies

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This paper discusses the development and psychometric properties (range, internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and construct validity) of an instrument–the Wellness Child Care Assessment Tool–to quantitatively evaluate the comprehensiveness and strength of written nutrition and physical activity policies at preschools and child-care centers. To evaluate the instrument, psychometric analyses were conducted on 94 independent policies from More

How Does the Rural Food Environment Affect Rural Childhood Obesity?

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This paper examines the association between the rural food environment and rural lower-income children’s food consumption and obesity rates in six rural towns in Maine. Researchers found few significant relationships between the community food environment and the home food environment. A marginally significant relationship was found between the distance parents traveled to shop and the More

Consumer Estimation of Recommended and Actual Calories at Fast Food Restaurants

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This paper examines the assumptions that consumers know how many calories they should consume throughout the course of a day and customers improperly estimate the number of calories in their fast food order. It then examines whether mandatory menu labeling influences either of these assumptions. Based on receipt and survey data collected from consumers outside More

Is Being in School Better? The Impact of School on Children’s BMI When Starting Age is Endogenous

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This paper discusses the impact of early elementary school attendance on children’s body weight. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort of 1998 (ECLS-K), researchers compared the weights of children who had completed first grade to those of the same age who had completed kindergarten only. Employing a regression-discontinuity (RD) design, researchers found More

Validity of a Measure to Assess the Child-Care Nutrition and Physical Activity Environment

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This paper discusses the development and validity of a self-administered survey to assess the nutrition and physical activity environment of child-care centers. The survey assesses four areas related to nutrition and physical activity: center policies, practices related to the social environment, physical environment and nutrition quality. To evaluate criterion validity of the survey, researchers compared More

Industry Progress to Market a Healthful Diet to American Children and Adolescents

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In a 2005 report, Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity, an IOM expert committee concluded that prevailing food and beverage marketing practices did not support a healthful diet and provided recommendations to guide diverse stakeholders to promote a healthful diet to children and adolescents. This paper reviews the available evidence between December More

What Role Can Child-Care Settings Play in Obesity Prevention? A Review of the Evidence and Call for Research Efforts

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This article summarizes the scientific literature on state regulations, practices and policies, and interventions for promoting healthy eating and physical activity, and for preventing obesity in preschool-aged children attending child care. Findings of the review indicate that most states lack strong healthy eating and physical activity regulations for child-care settings. Assessments of child-care settings suggest More

Encouraging Consumption of Water in School and Child Care Settings: Access, Challenges, and Strategies for Improvement

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Children and adolescents are not consuming enough water. Since children spend most of their day in school and child care settings, ensuring that safe, potable water is available in these settings is essential. This article identifies challenges that limit access to drinking water, including deteriorating drinking water infrastructure, limited drinking water availability, insufficient federal meal More

News Media Framing of Childhood Obesity in the United States from 2000 to 2009

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This article assesses how the news media framed the causes of childhood obesity and potential solutions to the problem over a ten-year period (2000-2009). Researchers found that by 2003, childhood obesity was on the news media’s agenda and remained so until 2007, after which coverage decreased. Overall, news stories were equally likely to attribute childhood More