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.

Building Strategies and Leadership for Change

March 1, 2013 | Journal Article

Salud America! research aligns with the Institute of Medicine’s approach to preventing obesity.

2011 County Health Calculator

March 30, 2011 | Chart

Want to improve health? Start with where we live, work, learn and play.

Developing Healthy Communities

November 3, 2011 | Story

A partnership between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Federal Reserve System explores how the community development and health sectors can work together to improve health and well-being.

Strong Medicine for a Healthier America

December 20, 2010 | Journal Article/Story

American Journal of Preventive Medicine supplement examines how social factors affect health and offers recommendations for action.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America

April 9, 2009 | Issue Brief

The Commission's recommendations outline the greatest opportunities to improve the health of all Americans, including improving nutrition, physical activity and early childhood development eliminating tobacco use creating healthy places and establishing accountability for health impact in all policies.

The Impact of Minimum Wage Rates on Body Weight in the United States

April 1, 2011 | Book

This study concluded that declining real minimum wage rates have contributed to the increasing rate of overweight and obesity in the United States. Studies to clarify the mechanism by which minimum wages may affect obesity might help determine appropriate policy responses.

Effects of Weight on Adolescent Educational Attainment

April 1, 2011 | Book

The authors used measures of educational achievement such as highest grade attended, highest grade completed, and drop out status among adolescents to ascertain whether weight affected educational achievements. Analyses did not detect any strong associations between weight and educational achievement among youth surveyed in the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth.

Federal Reserve Joins with RWJF to Improve Community Health

August 27, 2010 | Story

An opportunity to learn how investments in affordable housing, grocery stores, day-care centers, charter schools and more, can have a positive impact on health.

President Obama Champions Social Innovation

July 8, 2009 | Story

More Than Wheels and HopeLab, two grantees of the Foundation, were among the nonprofits invited to attend the White House event.

RWJF Launches Commission to Build a Healthier America

February 27, 2008 | Video/Story

The nonpartisan commission will investigate how factors such as education, environment, income and housing shape and affect personal behavioral choices. The United States spends more on health than any other nation. Yet, the U.S. ranks at or near th ...