Search Results: MCHLine

Annotation: This brief outlines approaches for Medicaid policymakers to implement or evolve nutrition benefit strategies for Medicaid members. It focuses on three key approaches: refining CMS-defined interventions to better meet member needs, ensuring interventions are culturally appropriate and member-centered, and defining standardized eligibility criteria to maximize impact and decrease administrative burden. The document provides examples from various states' Medicaid programs, including approved and proposed 1115 waivers and In Lieu of Services (ILOS) policies. It highlights the importance of addressing the full range of food needs, from food security to instrumental food, and discusses strategies for ensuring food quality, choice, and cultural appropriateness. The brief also includes a table comparing eligibility criteria across different states and population groups.

Contact: Center for Health Care Strategies, 200 American Metro Boulevard, Suite 119, Hamilton, NJ 08619, Telephone: (609) 528-8400 Fax: (609) 586-3679 Web Site: http://www.chcs.org

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Keywords: Medicaid, Nutrition and food, Policy development

Annotation: This website describes Maine's childhood obesity prevention program to increase physical activity and healthy eating for children from birth to age 18 through policy and environmental change. The program strives to reinforce the importance of healthy eating and physical activity by reaching families where they live, learn, work, and play. Contents include toolkits for early childhood, K-5, middle and high school, and health care and work place programs. Resources for parents and Spanish translated materials are also provided.

Contact: Barbara Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center, 22 Bramhall Street, Portland, ME Telephone: (207) 662-0111 Web Site: http://www.bbch.org/Pages/Home.aspx Available from the website.

• Website
• 2012 Annual Report

Keywords: Adolescents, Children, Environmental influences, Families, Health policy, Maine, Nutrition, Obesity, Physical activity, Prevention programs, Public private partnerships, Spanish language materials, State initiatives

Annotation: This systematic review evaluates whether participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is associated with nutrition and health outcomes for women, infants, and children, and whether the associations vary by duration of participation or across subgroups. The review prioritized studies published since 2009 and included studies comparing outcomes before and after the 2009 food package change. Conclusions showed that maternal WIC participation was associated with improved birth outcomes, lower infant mortality, and better child cognitive development, as well as purchasing healthier foods and improved diets for pregnant women and children.

Contact: U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, Telephone: (301) 427-1104 Secondary Telephone: (301) 427-1364 Web Site: http://www.ahrq.gov

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Keywords: Breastfeeding, Child health, Child nutrition, Infant health, MCH programs, Maternal health, Nutrition, Nutrition policy, Nutrition services, Pregnant women, Preterm delivery, Program evaluation, WIC Program

Annotation: This toolkit provides information and resources to help advocates to improve the quality of school meals. It discusses the history of school meals; school meals today; the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, and lawsuits over a 2018 U.S. Department of Agriculture rule that weakened sodium, whole grain, and flavored milk standards for school meals. Also discussed are the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the importance of school meals, the Center for Science in the Public Interest's vision for school meals, and what advocates can do to help realize this vision. Fact sheets on key priorities are included, along with information on state and local model legislation and policy, messaging guidance, and sample communication materials.

Contact: Center for Science in the Public Interest, 1220 L Street, N.W., Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005, Telephone: (202) 332-9110 Fax: (202) 265-4954 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.cspinet.org Available from the website.

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Keywords: Advocacy, Legislation, Nutrition, Public policy, School age children, School health

Annotation: This report presents a national strategy on hunger, nutrition, and health, including oral health, and provides information about ending hunger and increasing healthy eating and physical activity to reduce the incidence of diet-related diseases. It details five pillars of the national strategy: (1) improve food access and affordability, (2) integrate nutrition and health, (3) empower everyone to make and have access to healthy choices, (4) support physical activity for all, and (5) enhance nutrition and food security research, including the interplay between nutrition, oral disease, and overall health.

Contact: White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20500, Web Site: https://www.whitehouse.gov Available from the website.

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Keywords: Hunger, Nutrition, Oral health, Physical activity, Public policy

Annotation: This updated policy statement addresses infant feeding from a public health perspective, promoting breastfeeding for optimal health and nutrition. Topics covered include epidemiology, health equity, exclusive breastfeeding, and duration of breastfeeding, as well as contraindications and special circumstances that may make breastfeeding difficult. A companion technical report provides the evidence and basis for the recommendations.

Contact: American Academy of Pediatrics, 345 Park Boulevard, Itasca, IL 60143, Telephone: (630) 626-6000 Secondary Telephone: (847) 434-4000 Fax: (847) 434-8000 Web Site: https://www.aap.org

• Policy Stataement
• Technical Report

Keywords: Breastfeeding, Infant feeding, Infant nutrition, Policy , Public health

Annotation: This toolkit contains information to help pediatricians and their key partners learn about food insecurity, screen and identify children at risk, connect families to available federal, state, and local food and nutrition programs, and support policies that address food insecurity and its root causes, including poverty, inadequate wages, housing insecurity, food deserts, and structural racism.

Contact: American Academy of Pediatrics, 345 Park Boulevard, Itasca, IL 60143, Telephone: (630) 626-6000 Secondary Telephone: (847) 434-4000 Fax: (847) 434-8000 Web Site: https://www.aap.org

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Keywords: Advocacy, Children, Consumer education, Families, Federal programs, Food, Intervention, Nutrition, Nutrition education, Nutrition programs, Pediatric care, Policy development, Resources for professionals, Screening

Annotation: These resources are designed to help child care centers improve practices and policies that will create healthier environments for infants and children from birth to age 5. Topics include nutrition, physical education, screen time, and infant feeding.

Contact: American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75231-4596, Telephone: (800) AHA-USA1 Secondary Telephone: 1-800-242-8721 Web Site: http://www.americanheart.org Available from the website.

• Link
• Evaluation Of Healthy Way To Grow (2020)

Keywords: Behavior change, Child care centers, Health policy, Infant feeding, National initiatives, Nutrition, Obesity, Physical activity, Young children

Annotation: This set of national standards describe evidence-based best practices in nutrition, physical activity, and screen time for early care and education programs. Contents include intervention strategies to prevent excessive weight gain in young children. The standards detail opportunities for facilities to work with families. Topics include nutrition requirements for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, and school-age children; meal service and supervision; food brought from home; nutrition education; food and nutrition service policies and plans; infant feeding policy; active opportunities for physical activity; playing outdoors; protection from air pollution while children are outside; caregivers/teachers' encouragement of physical activity; policies and practices that promote physical activity; and limiting media and computer time. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Contact: National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education, University of Colorado Denver, 13120 East 19th Avenue, Mail Stop F541, P.O. Box 6511, Aurora, CO 80045, Telephone: (800) 598-5437 (598-KIDS) Fax: (303) 724-0960 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://nrckids.org Order from the website for a charge (3rd ed); available from the website (2nd ed).

• 3rd Edition
• 2nd Edition

Keywords: Child care, Early childhood education, Infants, National initiatives, Nutrition, Obesity, Physical activity, Policy development, Preschool children, Primary prevention, Program development, School-age children, Standards, Toddlers

Annotation: This evidence review summarizes the effectiveness of workplace, community, and health care system–based programs and policies aimed at supporting and promoting breastfeeding and addresses maternal health outcomes associated with this recommended feeding method.

Contact: U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, Telephone: (301) 427-1104 Secondary Telephone: (301) 427-1364 Web Site: http://www.ahrq.gov

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Keywords: Breastfeeding, Infant feeding, Infant nutrition, Maternal health, Policy analysis, Program evaluation

Annotation: These resources are designed to help pediatricians and their practice teams screen for food insecurity, connect families with food and nutrition resources in the community, and support national and local policies that increase access to adequate healthy food for all children and their families. Contents include an infographic, information on food insecurity and federal nutrition programs, tips on preparing for and using the Hunger Vital Sign (a validated screening tool), interventions to address food insecurity, and resources to support advocacy and educational efforts.

Contact: American Academy of Pediatrics, 345 Park Boulevard, Itasca, IL 60143, Telephone: (630) 626-6000 Secondary Telephone: (847) 434-4000 Fax: (847) 434-8000 Web Site: https://www.aap.org Available from the website.

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Keywords: Advocacy, Children, Consumer education, Families, Federal programs, Food, Intervention, Nutrition, Nutrition education, Nutrition programs, Pediatric care, Policy development, Resources for professionals, Screening

Annotation: This report presents results of a survey of parents with children and adolescents ages 2 to 17 to measure parents' attitudes about food marketing and other influences on children's eating habits and their support for policies to promote healthy eating for their children. Topics include parents' opinions about food industry self-regulation, including the ages of children who should be protected from unhealthy food marketing and whether they believe that individual food companies have delivered on their pledges to limit food advertising to children. The report also examines parents' willingness to participate in a variety of actions to encourage companies to reduce unhealthy food marketing to their children. A series of infographics is also available.

Contact: Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, University of Connecticut, One Constitution Plaza, Suite 600, Hartford, CT 06511, Telephone: (860) 380-1000 Fax: (860) 509-0009 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.uconnruddcenter.org Available from the website.

• Full Report
• Infographics

Keywords: Adolescents, Advocacy, Beliefs, Children, Consumer satisfaction, Consumer surveys, Food consumption, Marketing, Nutrition, Parent participation, Parenting attitudes, Policy development

Annotation: This brief summarizes evidence for promoting healthy nutrition in the early care and education setting. Topics include breastfeeding, shaping food preferences among infants and toddlers, the role of the feeding environment and responsive feeding, introducing infants to complementary foods, and recognizing infants’ and toddlers’ hunger and fullness cues. Feeding strategies to reduce the likelihood that children will develop tooth decay are provided. Policy and practice implications are included.

Contact: Healthy Eating Research, Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Duke Box 90519, Durham, NC 27708, Telephone: (800) 578-8636 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.healthyeatingresearch.org Available from the website.

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Keywords: Breastfeeding, Child care, Complementary feeding, Early childhood education, Feeding, Food allergies, Food preferences, Food safety, Guidelines, Health promotion, Infants, Nutrition, Physical activity, Policy development, Toddlers, Young children

Annotation: This monograph reports key findings from a comprehensive, ongoing, nationwide evaluation of written school district wellness policies. Contents include data from school years 2006–2007 through 2013–2014, the first eight years following the required implementation data for wellness policies. Topics include background on the federal requirement for school district wellness policies, methodology for assessing policy strength and district characteristics, comprehensiveness and strength of wellness policies, key findings of wellness policy provisions, and future research needs.

Contact: University of Illinois at Chicago, Institute for Health Research and Policy, 1747 West Roosevelt Road, 5th Floor, Chicago, IL 60608-1264, Telephone: (312) 996-7222 Secondary Telephone: (866) 757-4507 Fax: (312) 996-2703 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.ihrp.uic.edu Available from the website.

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Keywords: Federal legislation, Health policy, Nutrition education, Physical activity, Physical education, Policy development, Regulations, Research, School districts, School food services, Trends

Annotation: This toolkit is designed to assist school districts in talking with parents and school staff about wellness policies and increasing their involvement in the process. Contents include a letter to principals, parent flyer, newsletter insert, presentation slides, and social media posts about local school wellness policies. The customizable templates can be adapted to meet district's specific needs.

Contact: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Team Nutrition, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 632, Alexandria, VA 22302, Telephone: (703) 305-1624 Fax: (703) 305-2549 Web Site: http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn Available from the website.

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Keywords: Communication, Nutrition, Parents, Policy development, School districts

Annotation: This resource provides information about obesity among young children, adolescents, and adults in the United States. Contents include obesity rates and trends by age, household income, and race and ethnicity; policy analysis; state briefs; fast facts; and other resources. Topics include the relationship between weight and diabetes, hypertension, and physical inactivity; the health care costs of obesity; food insecurity, food deserts, and healthy weights; and socioeconomics and obesity.

Contact: Trust for America's Health, 1730 M Street, N.W., Suite 900, Washington, DC 20036, Telephone: (202) 223-9870 Fax: (202) 223-9871 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://healthyamericans.org Available from the website.

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Keywords: Adolescents, Adults, Barriers, Children, Chronic illnesses and disabilities, Costs, Data sources, Financing, Health status, Low income groups, Nutrition, Obesity, Policy development, Schools, Socioeconomic factors, State programs, Trends, Young children

Annotation: This database is a searchable collection of local public policies that explicitly support community food systems. The database provides examples of local public policies that have been adopted to address a range of food systems issues including rural and urban food production, farmland protection, transfer of development rights, food aggregation and distribution infrastructure, local food purchasing and procurement, healthy food access, food policy councils, food policy coordination, food system metrics, tax reductions and exemptions for food infrastructure. Contents include local laws, ordinances, resolutions, motions, orders, and directives, as well as plans, standards, guidelines, tax exemptions and other public financing policies. Policies span different geographic regions, sizes of government, rural and urban contexts, and public issues. In addition to general information about policy type, topic, and adoption date, the database includes policy documents, or the adopted language for each policy. When available, the database also lists information about the adopting, implementing, and supporting public agencies and non-governmental organizations; funding amount and sources; and policy outcomes.

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Keywords: Databases, Financing, Food, Legislation, Local initiatives, Metrics, Nutrition, Policy development, Program coordination, Program planning, Public policy, Service delivery systems

Annotation: This policy brief investigates sugary drink consumption in communities of color, focusing on the public health impact and marketing of such products, and policy options to facilitate healthy beverage consumption. It also discusses how decision makers can work to prevent childhood obesity and related illnesses by advancing policies to reduce the marketing and appeal of sugary drinks—and increase the availability of healthy alternatives—in communities of color.

Contact: Leadership for Healthy Communities, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 1300 L Street, N.W., Suite 975***DEFUNCT***, Washington, DC 20005, Telephone: (202) 265-5112 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.leadershipforhealthycommunities.org Available from the website.

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Keywords: Child health, Food consumption, Marketing, Minority groups, Minority health, Nutrition, Obesity, Policy development, Sugar

Annotation: This tool for shelter staff members contains recommendations and information on how family shelter environments, programming, policies, and staff can support early childhood safety and development. The tool contains recommendations for making shelter facilities safe and developmentally appropriate for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in five areas: health and safety, wellness and development, work force standards and training, programming, and food and nutrition. The tool categorizes recommendations by the estimated amount of resources requires. Links to references referenced in the tool and an action plan form are also included.

Contact: U.S. Administration for Children and Families, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary and Interdepartmental Liaison for Early Childhood Development, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, S.W., Washington, DC 20447, Telephone: (202) 401-9200 Fax: (202) 205-4891 Web Site: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ecd/about Available from the website.

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Keywords: Child safety, Community action, Community health services, Early childhood development, Families, Family support programs, Homelessness, Infants, Nutrition, Policy development, Preschool children, Program development, Self evaluation, Shelters, Standards, Toddlers, Training, Work force

Annotation: This report outlines the barriers to breastfeeding that communities of color face, along with policy and practice recommendations to address racial inequity in First Food. The report highlights structural barriers that women face during pregnancy, at the hospital, and in their first weeks and months at home after the baby is born—including access to Baby-Friendly hospitals and certified lactation consultants.

Contact: Center for Social Inclusion, 150 Broadway, Suite 303, New York, NY 10038, Telephone: (212) 248-2785 E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.centerforsocialinclusion.org Available from the website.

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Keywords: Barriers, Breastfeeding, Case Studies, Environmental influences, Ethnic groups, Infant health, Mothers, Nutrition, Policy development, Public policy