Identifying an implementation strategy to maximize the public health nutrition impact of the Child and Adult Care Food Program

确定实施策略，以最大限度地发挥儿童和成人护理食品计划对公共卫生营养的影响

基本信息

批准号：
10669018
负责人：
Erica Lauren Kenney
金额：
$ 14.82万
依托单位：
HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
财政年份：
2021
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2021-09-01 至 2026-07-31
项目状态：
未结题

项目摘要

Nearly one in five 2-5 year old U.S. children has obesity, and over half of today’s children are expected to have obesity by adulthood. Failure to prevent childhood obesity thus puts a majority of our children at increased risk of diet-related chronic diseases including type II diabetes mellitus. Early childhood is critical for the formation of habits for eating, physical activity, and other behaviors that contribute to a healthy weight, yet diet in early childhood is currently poor. A promising public health approach to establishing healthy eating habits in early childhood is through strengthening the nutrition standards of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), a federal food assistance program that reaches millions of young children attending child care settings in the US. CACFP standards for meals served were recently updated, but incomplete implementation has weakened the impact of this policy change. Identification of a strategy to improve implementation could help to ensure that the intended policy improvements to CACFP translate into improved child health. This study proposes to collect novel data on the implementation challenges that child care providers face in adopting healthier eating standards, including data on administrative challenges and costs. Then, using this formative research, we will develop an implementation intervention to help child care centers adopt stronger CACFP nutrition standards. The NIDDK K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award will help fill critical training gaps in 1) dissemination and implementation science and 2) cost analysis, and will build on my advanced training in intervention evaluation and social epidemiology. My long-term career goal is to develop a robust research program that uses strategic science to inform effective policy development and policy implementation, to prevent nutrition-related chronic diseases at a population level. The training plan involves coursework in implementation science and cost analysis, combined with structured mentoring, meetings, workshops, and seminars, to establish new skills in these areas. The research plan proposed will allow me to apply these new skills and build on my existing skill set. The combined training and research plan, with the strong institutional support and excellent intellectual environment of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, will ensure my transition into an independent researcher able to compete successfully for R01 funding and help me develop into a leader in the field of public health approaches to improving child nutrition and preventing later diet-related chronic diseases.

近五分之一的 2-5 岁美国儿童患有肥胖症，预计当今超过一半的儿童成年后将患有肥胖症。如果未能预防儿童肥胖症，大多数儿童患与饮食相关的慢性疾病的风险就会增加。儿童早期对于形成饮食、身体活动和其他有助于健康体重的行为至关重要，但目前在儿童早期建立健康饮食习惯的公共卫生方法还很有限。幼儿期是通过加强营养标准儿童和成人护理食品计划 (CACFP) 是一项联邦食品援助计划，旨在帮助数百万在美国儿童保育机构就读的幼儿。 CACFP 的膳食标准最近进行了更新，但执行不彻底削弱了该政策的影响。确定改进实施的策略有助于确保 CACFP 的预期政策改进转化为儿童健康的改善。本研究建议收集有关儿童保育提供者在采用更健康饮食标准时面临的实施挑战的新数据，包括数据。然后，关于行政挑战和成本。利用这项形成性研究，我们将制定实施干预措施，帮助托儿中心采用更严格的 CACFP 营养标准。 NIDDK K01 指导研究科学家发展奖将有助于填补 1) 传播和实施科学以及 2) 成本分析方面的关键培训空白，并将以我在干预评估和社会流行病学方面的高级培训为基础，我的长期职业目标是发展。一项强有力的研究计划，利用战略科学为有效的政策制定和政策实施提供信息，以在人口层面预防与营养相关的慢性病。该培训计划包括实施科学和成本分析课程，并结合结构化指导、会议、研讨会和研讨会，以建立这些领域的新技能，所提出的研究计划将使我能够应用这些新技能，并在我现有的技能组合的基础上，在强大的机构支持和良好的智力环境的基础上。哈佛大学陈曾熙公共卫生学院将确保我转变为一名独立研究员，能够成功竞争 R01 资金，并帮助我发展成为改善儿童营养和预防日后饮食相关慢性疾病的公共卫生方法领域的领导者。