Tracking the impact on children of changes in the food and physical activity environments in five New Jersey cities over five years

This grant supports data collection on policy and environmental changes over a five-year period in cities funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids program. The grant will evaluate overall changes due to many state and local initiatives, not just changes due to the Partnership, to promote children's healthy eating and physical activity and, thus, prevent obesity. The data will form part of the only known longitudinal study of the impact of environmental changes on individual children's weight and health behaviors. The study will link individual children's exposure to specific policies and environmental changes over time, allowing a prospective look at the "dose" of change that is required to affect prevalence of obesity and overweight. The investigators will repeat their highly accurate maps of food outlets, policies within schools and communities, and facilities for physical activity and play. Deliverables will include a yearly report to the Foundation on changes in policies and environments; an interim report by 2015 on overall changes in children's obesity and overweight; a final report in 2017; yearly changes in the maps; briefings for each community for planning and evaluation purposes; later publications that persuasively link policy and environmental changes to children's health and behaviors; and strategic communications about New Jersey's progress in addressing the epidemic.

Grant Details

Amount Awarded $559,798.00

Awarded on: 7/18/2012

Time frame: 7/15/2012 - 7/14/2017

Grant Number: 70154