Childhood Obesity Program Area

RWJF is committed to tackling one of the most urgent threats to the health of our children and families—childhood obesity. Our goal is to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015.

An Advocacy Academy for Southerners Concerned With Preventing Childhood Obesity

May 22, 2013 | Program Result Report

Consultants from Tandeka LLC developed and led a pilot training program that prepares advocates to spearhead public-policy advocacy campaigns, particularly ones that promote childhood obesity prevention policies.

Better-For-You Foods

March 1, 2013 | Report

Packaged goods companies and restaurant chains can succeed in satisfying both the increased consumer demand for healthier foods and beverages, and improving their bottom lines.

Food Companies' Calorie-Reduction Pledges to Improve U.S. Diet

February 1, 2013 | Journal Article

Sixteen major food-manufacturing companies, members of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, have pledged to collectively remove 1.5 trillion calories a year from the marketplace by the end of 2015.

A Patchwork of Progress

November 1, 2011 | Report

California making headway in battle against childhood obesity but study shows successes are uneven.

Better-for-You Foods

October 1, 2011 | Report

Companies that sell more better-for-you foods and beverages deliver better business results.

Safe Routes to School

September 1, 2011 | Report

This report examines the many benefits and cost-savings Safe Routes to School programs offer.

Reaching the Healthy People Goals for Reducing Childhood Obesity

April 1, 2012 | Journal Article

This paper argues that a metric for linking obesity prevalence targets to energy-balancing interventions at the population level is missing. The authors provide a framework for estimating the sizes of daily per capita energy gap reductions needed to reach prevalence targets by 2020.

Harnessing the Power of Supermarkets to Help Reverse Childhood Obesity

April 1, 2011 | Report

Public health and supermarket experts explore in-store marketing strategies to promote healthier foods.

Impact of a Pilot Walking School Bus Intervention on Children's Pedestrian Safety Behaviors

January 1, 2012 | Journal Article

This article examines the impact of walking school buses (WSB) on pedestrian safety behaviors (PSB). Using a randomized controlled trial, this pilot study tested the feasibility of a research protocol measuring children's pedestrian safety behaviors.

New Study Estimates Calorie Reductions Needed to Achieve Obesity-Prevention Goals

April 12, 2012 | Book

Without changes to eating and activity, more than one in five young people could be obese by 2020, researchers predict.