Project Reports and Resources

State Efforts to Address Obesity Prevention in Child Care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems

This report provides an in-depth look at how states are incorporating obesity prevention into their Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRISs) for child care facilities. QRISs are a voluntary, comprehensive approach to improving the quality of early care and education programs and have recently become the focus of state early childhood obesity prevention efforts. Based on information gathered from a national advisory group and representatives from 10 states, the report documents the specific nutrition, physical activity, and screen time standards being used in state QRISs, tools and incentives to help child care providers achieve the standards, and monitoring strategies. It also highlights successful collaborative, cross-agency strategies being used, challenges states have faced, and recommends next steps in this important policy area.

D o wnload the QRIS Report in PDF Format

Registry-Based BMI Surveillance: A Guide to System Preparation, Design, and Implementation

This guide is chiefly written to serve an audience that may be evaluating the possible benefits of a registry-based BMI surveillance model or that is implementing this kind of system. It provides information, analysis, resources, and a potential roadmap for anyone interested in creating or implementing a registry-based childhood obesity surveillance system built upon a state’s immunization information system. Most of the information provided would also apply to city or county-level registries.

Because the registry-based surveillance model offers potential benefits beyond surveillance (e.g., functionality for program planning and evaluation, clinical quality improvement) a number of additional audiences may benefit from this guide, such as the following: chronic disease prevention personnel working in health departments who are interested in developing a BMI surveillance system; members of coalitions focused on children’s health and obesity prevention whose advocacy may be needed to support development of such a system and whose members desire information to plan interventions, assess their effectiveness, and promote policy change to support children’s health; epidemiologists charged with ensuring data quality and with analyzing data collected through state and local disease surveillance systems; immunization registry managers in state and county health departments who are interested in or are being asked to add height and weight to their registry; vendors of electronic health records and immunization registry software who are interested in facilitating aggregation of height and weight data; health plan administrators interested in using registry data to promote the quality of obesity prevention, screening, and care; and clinical providers who may be seeking clinical tools and resources or answers to questions about how a state’s registry-based BMI surveillance system might affect their clinical care delivery, operations, and quality improvement efforts.

Access the complete guide in PDF Format

Impact of the Revised WIC Food Package on Small WIC Vendors: Insight From a Four-State Evaluation

This report details the findings of an Altarum-led study to examine the impact of the changes to the WIC food package on small authorized WIC vendors in Colorado, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The supplementary addendum includes state maps and tables, charts, and graphs of select additional data comparisons that were developed as a part of this study.

WIC Food Package Evaluation Symposium Proceedings Report and Multimedia Files

The Altarum Institute WIC Food Package Evaluation Symposium, held on November 30, 2010 in Washington, D.C., was a conference to aid researchers, policymakers, and program administrators in understanding the impact of the new WIC food package on participants, communities, and nutrition policy. The symposium provided a forum for researchers to share information with other researchers, policymakers, program administrators, and other interested parties, and to build on their efforts to better understand the effects of the new WIC food packages.

Environmental Scan of Physical Activity Practices and Resources in Washington, DC Child Care Centers

This report details the methods and findings of an Altarum-led environmental assessment of District of Columbia child care centers. The Altarum-led analyses focus on factors thought to be (1) most influential in determining children’s activity levels in child care settings and (2) potentially modifiable through policy or practice changes.

Environmental Scan of Nutrition Practices in Child Development Centers in the District of Columbia and Opportunities to Promote Wellness

This report, issued by D.C. Hunger Solutions (DCHS) with funding from Altarum Institute, details the methods and findings of an environmental assessment of nutrition practices and resources in District of Columbia child care centers. Data were collected for this study jointly by DCHS and Altarum. The goals of the D.C. Hunger Solutions-led study were to provide information on current nutrition-related policies and practices; opportunities for improvements in the nutrition-related environment, and recommendations for implementing new policies to promote nutrition at child development centers.

Access the complete report in PDF format (this link will take you to the DC Hunger Solutions website)

Challenges and Opportunities Related to Implementation of Child Care Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies in Delaware

This report contains the findings and recommendations offered following the conclusion of an Altarum Institute focus group study with child care center directors, child care home providers, and parents of children in child care centers across the state of Delaware.