Childhood Obesity Program Area

RWJF is committed to tackling one of the most urgent threats to the health of our children and families—childhood obesity. Our goal is to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015.

Can Tag Help Schools Teach?

March 1, 2012 | Issue Brief

Strengthening recess transforms the school climate, paving the way for less bullying and more focus on learning, according to new evaluation findings from Mathematica Policy Research and Stanford University.

Joining Scholarship and Action on Behalf of Black Mothers and Daughters

December 26, 2010 | Story

According to Johnson Dias, the presence of poverty, racism and crime is a daily disaster in these neighborhoods. "Public safety here is a heath issue," she says. "You can't keep your child physically active if you are concerned your child might die."

Patients Benefit from Interventions to Change Their Behaviors

August 1, 2002 | Program Result

The Center for the Advancement of Health conducted a study of the availability and integration of health behavior change programs in managed care.

Changing Policies and the Physical Environment So Children and Families Can Eat Well and Move More

February 14, 2012 | Story

A profile of Sarah Strunk, MHA, director of Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities.

Active for Life: Increasing Physical Activity Levels in Adults Age 50 and Older

April 15, 2011 | Story

A profile of the evaluator, Sara Wilcox, PhD.

Frank Chaloupka: Informing the Best Policies With the Best Science

November 29, 2010 | Story

"During the time obesity has emerged as a significant health problem, we have seen dramatic decreases in prices of sugar-sweetened beverages, and increases in prices of fresh foods and vegetables."

Lloyd Johnston: Pioneering the Science of Adolescent Health

November 29, 2010 | Story

From a young age, Johnston wanted to make a social contribution, inspired perhaps by the example of his parents. "My father was always concerned about doing good in the world," he says.

Adults' Sedentary Behavior

August 1, 2011 | Journal Article

A conceptual approach to understanding the factors that influence adults? sitting time?and how to influence behavior change.

News Media Framing of Childhood Obesity in the United States from 2000 to 2009

July 1, 2011 | Journal Article

An analysis of news coverage of childhood obesity suggests attention to the topic has already waned, and that media framing of the issue and its causes, which can influence public opinion, shifted over time and varied by media type.

How Does Community Design Impact Health?

January 26, 2010 | Story

Zhu learned that walking to school is a complicated matter. But she quickly discovered that choosing to walk to school "is such a complex problem that it cannot be simplified into a single index.