This brief summarizes the published Cochrane Review, "Healthy Eating Interventions Delivered in Early Childhood Education and Care Settings for Improving the Diet of Children Aged Six Months to Six Years," by S. L. Yoong, M. Lum, L. Wolfenden, J. Jackson, C. Barnes, A. E. Hall, S. McCrabb, N. Pearson, C. Lane, J. Z. Jones, E. Nolan, L.…

Aim: This study sought to investigate the relationship between knowledge and the practical application (including grocery lists, meal plans and food-related pedagogical plans) of Norwegian national guidelines for food and meals in kindergartens, together with the quality of food served in adherence to these guidelines. The study also examined the…

This article responds to Euro-western conceptions of childhood obesity that understand fat within developmental narratives, as biochemically consequential and as a marker of individualized responsibility. Drawing in multiple fat(s) generated in a pedagogical inquiry with early childhood educators and children, the author articulates…

The NOURISH:ECE project explored the role of maternal and child health nurses (MCHNs) in early childhood education and care (ECEC) through the design and pilot of professional learning (PL) regarding responsive feeding practices. Eight focus groups were conducted in Queensland (MCHNs, n = 20; educators, n = 29) to explore attitudes regarding…

Obesity and overweight in early childhood have detrimental impacts on children's health and development. Changing policy, system and environmental features focused on physical activity and healthy eating behaviors as part of health promotion interventions can play a key role in prevention strategies in early childhood education settings. These…

Government guidelines for relaunching early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs during the COVID-19 pandemic have required the implementation of various practices to minimize the risk of infection transmission. These directives include recommendations regarding serving and handling food, shared spaces, and physical distancing which have a…

Background: Changing "Policy, System, and Environmental" features focused on physical activity and healthy eating behaviors can play a key role in obesity prevention strategies in early childhood education settings because of their broad reach and because they can be sustained over time. The primary aims of this study were to examine the…

Purpose/Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of teacher encouragement on elementary school student vegetable snack consumption. Methods: Twelve Wisconsin elementary school teachers were randomly assigned different levels of encouragement procedures during vegetable snack time. The consumption levels of 218 students…

The objective of this study was to examine the construct validity and bias of a child health interview (CHI) instrument to assess young children's food and activity preferences. A quantitative study examining the construct validity and bias of a young child health interview instrument using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multi-group CFA…

Offering an in-depth exploration of the distinctive features of the play development and learning of toddlers, this book provides useful materials, strategies and tools that can be used by practitioners supporting toddlers at this significant age. The book explores the context and concepts of wellbeing and is ideal for early years practitioners,…

Early care and education settings are essential partners in the battle against childhood obesity. We describe an Extension-facilitated early childhood obesity prevention intervention conducted in 25 rural early care and education settings. A total of 148 policy, systems, or environmental changes were achieved, reaching approximately 450 young…

Children's obesity rates have increased substantially over the past several decades, due in part to unhealthy eating habits. About 75% of preschool-aged children consume fewer fruits and vegetables than recommended for health. Because children begin developing eating habits during early childhood, obesity prevention programs are increasingly…

Nearly 17 percent of children and adolescents are obese, but early interventions in nutrition and physical activity can prevent that number from increasing. This snapshot explores how schools can enact policies to help students develop healthy habits early in life. The following topics are briefly discussed: (1) Why Target Schools?; (2) Early…

Site-level assessment questionnaires (SLAQs) were developed to assess nutrition and physical activity practices and environments in schools and other places children spend time in order to facilitate program planning and evaluation. After expert panel review for content validity, questionnaires were feasibility tested by users in six schools,…

The Reggio Emilia approach is an international example of high-quality early care and education programs and this article offers innovative, practical strategies in which Reggio Emilia-inspired educators can link this approach while implementing the research-based EAT [Ecological Approach to] Family Style Dining program to foster a positive…