Tackling and reversing the obesity crisis will require a comprehensive and sustained effort in every community in America. The nation’s growing network of afterschool providers can make a significant contribution to this battle.
Afterschool Alliance Issue Brief No. 24, April, 2006
Afterschool programs often play an important role in promoting healthy
lifestyles for youth. Physical fitness activities after school not only promote
health but also serve as crime deterrents, teach youth positive values, and
impart knowledge and skills to help youth establish lifelong healthy habits.
A review of conducted research on the effectiveness of afterschool physical activity programs. This review concludes that afterschool programs can in fact increase physical activity amongst youth.
By Michael W. Beets, MPH, PhD, Aaron Beighle, PhD, Heather E. Erwin, PhD, Jennifer L. Huberty, PhD, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Vol. 6, Issue 6, June, 2009
This brief discusses diet, exercise, body image, and weight and also provides information for practitioners on how to measure these factors among youth in their program.
By Laurie Martin, Sc.D., M.P.H. and Alyssa Milot, B.A., Child Trends Research-to-Results Brief, Publication #2007-06, March, 2007
The initiatives featured in this field report summarize activities of three
Action for Healthy Kids Teams that used the ReCharge! Energizing After-School
program — a joint effort of Action for Healthy Kids and the National Football
League — as a mechanism for enhancing nutrition and physical activity for
students in after-school.
Action for Healthy Kids Field
Report, Vol. 2, No. 2
Understanding the possible connections among access to healthy food, what families prepare and eat at home, and obesity can point toward potential environmental and policy solutions.
A Research Brief by Healthy Eating Research, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, July, 2008
State Child Care Licensing Regulations Related to Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Media Use for Preschool-Aged Children in the United States.
By Karen M. Kaphingst, MPH, and Mary Story, PhD, RD, Preventing Chronic Disease, Vol. 6, No. 1, January, 2009, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
A Report on the City and School Leaders Collaborating on Local Wellness Policies Project, funded by Leadership for Healthy Communities, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
By the National League of Cities, the Institute for Youth, Education, and Families, and the American Association of School Administrators, 2010
DC SCORES is an after-school program in DC (part of a national affiliate, America SCORES), and it has concrete evidence that participation in SCORES which, in part, gets kids active on the soccer field, benefits overall cardiovascular capacity and BMI. In addition, DC SCORES supports school day goals with a model that encourages school engagement through innovative programming and by hiring and training teachers as after school “coaches."
Physical health and wellness are among the core developmental needs
critical to child well-being, and afterschool programs are venues that
can support good health by providing nutritious food, creating
opportunities for physical activity, and offering health education. This
policy brief will focus on the issues related to child and youth
health, the resources afterschool programs provide, and how to expand
the role of afterschool programs to better promote healthy physical
development.
New York State Afterschool Network (NYSAN) Policy Brief, Winter 2010
This brief examines how foods and beverages are marketed to children and adolescents, how food and beverage companies encourage younger individuals to buy their products and whether limiting youth's exposure to food and beverage marketing could have benefits in preventing childhood obesity.
A Research Brief by Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, October, 2008
In the United States,
nearly 15 percent of households are food insecure; they have limited or
uncertain access to food. This research synthesis reviews studies that
examine the relationship between food insecurity and obesity in the United States,
particularly involving children and families. Because of the policy
implications inherent in examining this issue, the authors also assess
the role that nutrition assistance programs may play in the relationship
between food insecurity and obesity in the United States.
A Research Synthesis by Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, April, 2010
The “Every Size” strategy, a health-centered rather
than weight-centered program, may help chronic dieters reshape their
thinking, shed unhealthy habits, adopt new patterns of eating, become
more physically active, and increase their self-esteem.
By Marta D. Van Loan and Nancy L. Keim, Agricultural Research Magazine, Vol. 54, No. 3, March, 2006
In order to decrease childhood obesity rates, Healthy Eating Research, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program, researches healthy eating in children through environmental and policy strategies. This document provides the research’s goals and the background facts and statistics that serve as support for the research’s purpose.
A Call for Proposals by Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, January, 2009
Ideas for teachers, caregivers, program directors, and parents for
serving healthy snacks and beverages to children in the classroom, in
after-school programs, at soccer games, and elsewhere
Published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest
A research brief summarizing results of the preliminary evidence on the implementation of local school wellness policies and presents data in three key areas: quality, evaluation and funding of the policies; nutrition standards and nutrition education requirements; and physical activity requirements.
A Research Brief by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, June, 2009
This
research synthesis reviews studies that have examined the use of menu
labeling in away-from-home food establishments, such as restaurants and
cafeterias, and the potential impact of labeling on consumers' food and
beverage selections.
A Research Synthesis by Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, June, 2009
A research article examining U.S. state regulations on youth obesity prevention in all 50 states. The objective of this examination was to contrast individual state regulations on nutrition and physical activity related to obesity and child care homes. The research found great variation amongst the 50 states’ regulations and suggests enhancing wide-scale state regulations.
Sara E Benjamin, Angie Cradock, Elizabeth M Walker, Meghan Slining and Matthew W Gillman, BMC Public Health, Vol. 8, May 30, 2008, published by BioMed Central
While
children spend a substantial amount of time in school, more than half
of kids aged 5 to 14 years are also spending time in a child-care
setting. This is also an important out-of-home setting for
preschool-aged children. This research brief outlines federal food
programs and regulations that govern nutrition and physical activity in
child-care settings—and what research has demonstrated about the
nutritional quality of foods offered in child-care settings.
A Research Brief by Healthy Eating Research, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, May, 2007
This report discusses the various benefits of physical activity for youth development, including positive social relationships and physiological benefits. It also outlines the importance of school and families in youth healthy living and provides tables and charts as visual aids.
Maureen R. Weiss, Ph.D. and Diane M. Wiese-Bjornstal, Ph.D., President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Research Digest, Series 10, No.3, September, 2009
In
2008, Americans were expected to spend $558 billion eating at
restaurants. This research brief explores how access to restaurants is
related to the risk for obesity and describes what studies show about
inequalities in access to different types of restaurants.
A Research Brief by Healthy Eating Research, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, July, 2008
Schools
that provide federally reimbursed meal programs must meet federal
nutrition standards. But snacks and drinks sold outside of these
programs—so-called "competitive foods"—do not have to meet these
requirements. This brief examines the availability of competitive foods,
their nutritional content, their impact on students' food consumption,
and policies for improving the school food environment.
A Research Brief by Healthy Eating Research, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, May, 2007
In creating Smart School Snacks, early childhood educators collaborated with nutritionists to combine knowledge of effective early childhood teaching practices with what children need to know about nutrition now and in the future.
By Penny Bernath and Wendi Masi, Beyond the Journal - Young Children on the Web, May, 2006, published by
the National Association
for the Education of Young Children
The action plan defines the goal of ending childhood obesity in a
generation as returning to a childhood obesity rate of just 5 percent by
2030, which was the rate before childhood obesity first began to rise
in the late 1970s. In total, the report presents a series of 70 specific
recommendations, many of which can be implemented right away.
The Report to the President from the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, May, 2010
This
research brief examines the latest information on sugar-sweetened
beverages (SSBs) and food pricing strategies. The brief concludes that
taxes resulting in substantially higher prices of SSBs could be a
powerful policy tool for curbing obesity rates by leading people to
reduce consumption.
A Research Brief by Healthy Eating Research, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, July, 2009
A brochure-type document for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), which “promotes high-quality, affordable child care” via healthy food. This document overviews the program’s successes and includes different studies and statistics proving the program’s effectiveness.
Geraldine Henchy and Carolyn Wait, the Food Research and Action Center
There is compelling scientific justification for using nutrient density as the basis for dietary recommendations. Educating the public, parents and children on how to choose nutrient-rich foods is a positive approach that emphasizes a food’s total nutrient content and teaches how to make healthy food choices.
Published by the the Nutrient Rich Foods Coalition
Consumption of
sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) by adolescents and children in the
United States has been linked to less healthy diets, excessive caloric
intake and weight gain, increased obesity rates, and associated adverse
health effects, including increased rates of type 2 diabetes in adults.
This research synthesis reviews evidence regarding the health effects of
SSB consumption, outlines conclusions on the basis of these
investigations and suggests areas for additional research.
A Research Synthesis by Healthy Eating Research, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, November, 2009
From Time Magazine: Television-viewing has shown to be the worst form of inactivity amongst today’s youth, showing a significant difference in blood-pressure readings between children who watch television for more than 90 minutes per day and those who watch fewer than 30 minutes. The article covers potential problems posed by TV content, brain stimulation caused by programs cutting into sleep, etc.
Research by the Girl Scouts of USA on the view of health of young girls, which includes emotional well-being and safety. Includes tips on how to address health with girls and discusses the importance given to mothers.
The Girl Scout Research Institute, Girl Scouts of the USA Roundtable, September 1, 2009
This fact sheet synthesizes the
findings from multiple studies that examined the impacts of various
intervention strategies on child obesity. Interpretation of results:
The ideal format for a successful, comprehensive obesity prevention
program is still unclear.
Alena M. Hadley, M.S., Elizabeth C. Hair, Ph.D., and Nicole Dreisbach,
Child Trends Fact Sheet, Publication #2010-07, March, 2010
