This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognizing you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
How do early care and education programs support guidelines on obesity prevention?
Examining how COVID-19 impacted early care and education programs through the Childcare Survey of Activity and Wellness
Challenge
Childhood obesity is a serious national problem. To combat this issue, early care and education programs are expected to provide nutritious meals, limit screen time, and encourage physical activity. These goals are further challenged by the coronavirus.
Westat was asked to conduct a pilot study of a potential national surveillance system enabling states and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to track changes over time and obtain data to guide the planning, implementation, and evaluation of state obesity prevention efforts.
Solution
Westat designed a pilot study of the Childcare Survey of Activity and Wellness to survey early care and education program directors in 4 states about their practices and policies surrounding nutrition, physical activity and wellness.
Recognizing the effect that COVID-19 has had on these programs, the survey includes a section on ways programs may have been impacted by the pandemic. The survey is web-based, with a paper version mailed to nonrespondents. Westat will clean, weight, and analyze the data.
We will provide each of the 4 states with a brief report of the key survey findings for their state. These reports will provide prevalence estimates of provider practices related to key nutrition and physical activity topics that can be compared to existing guidelines.
Results
The Childcare Survey of Activity and Wellness data will be used by government officials at both the state and federal levels to determine the current practices and policies of early care and education providers.
In addition, study results will help CDC determine whether these types of questions are useful as part of a national surveillance system to improve early care and education programs around obesity prevention, nutrition, physical activity, and wellness. CDC will also gain an understanding of the impact that COVID-19 has had on early care and education programs.
Focus Areas
Health Communications Public Health Social ServicesCapabilities
Analysis and Modeling Statistical Methods Survey DesignTopics
COVID-19Senior Expert Contact
Mary Dingwall
Principal Research Associate
-
Issue Brief
Young Children’s Consumption of 100% Fruit Juice by Racial-Ethnic Characteristics of Their MothersMarch 2023
Congress authorized the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) as a pilot program in 1972 and made WIC permanent in 1974.…
-
Perspective
CDISC Conformance and Compliance: So Many Resources, So Little Time!February 2023
Implementing the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) standards required for data management, programming, documentation, and eCTD data submission can be challenging for many reasons…
-
Expert Interview
How Will the Marine Corps Integrate Men and Women at Recruit Training?January 2023
Marine Corps recruit training is every bit as intense as it looks. Each morning starts hours before sunrise with a chorus of screaming drill instructors…