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.

Creating a Culture of Movement

February 1, 2009 | Commentary

Congressional action is needed to pass legislation that will help create a culture of movement in schools and workplaces. Congressman Wamp of Tennessee is sponsoring several bills aimed at creating policies to increase physical activity in these crucial sites.

The Long-Term Returns of Obesity Prevention Policies

April 24, 2013 | Report

Obesity-prevention policies could save the U.S. billions of dollars in the long run. A new report from the Campaign to End Obesity shows that the way estimates for the costs of legislation are done now misses a lot of their value.

Still Too Fat to Fight

September 25, 2012 | Report

Students in the United States consume almost 400 billion calories from high-calorie, low-nutrient foods sold at school each year.

Promoting Model Federal Policies to Improve Local Food Environments

August 1, 2011 | Program Result Report

PolicyLink, in partnership with the Food Trust and the Reinvestment Fund, developed and promoted model federal policies to improve local food environments and increase access to healthy, affordable foods.

Association Between District and State Policies and U.S. Public Elementary School Competitive Food and Beverage Environments

June 10, 2013 | Journal Article

This study examines the association between district and state policy requirements regarding availability in public elementary schools of competitive food and beverages, including high-fat and high-sugar snacks, drinks, and salty snacks.

Energy Drinks: An Emerging Public Health Hazard for Youth

May 4, 2013 | Journal Article

Better labeling and more stringent regulation are warranted for energy drinks.

CBO Scoring Misses Billions of Dollars in Potential Long-Term Savings from Effective Obesity Prevention Policies, According to New Study

April 24, 2013 | News Release

Obesity-prevention policies could save the U.S. billions of dollars in the long run. A new report from the Campaign to End Obesity shows that the way estimates for the costs of legislation are done now misses a lot of their value.

Redefining "Child-Directed Advertising" to Reduce Unhealthy Television Food Advertising to Children

March 12, 2013 | Journal Article

Food and beverage companies have pledged to reduce unhealthy marketing to children through the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), but their pledges only apply to certain types of marketing.

School District Wellness Policies

February 28, 2013 | Report

A report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Bridging the Gap program finds that progress to improve school district wellness policies has stalled.

Title IX's Positive Unintended Consequence: Girls Have a Lower Probability of Obesity

September 16, 2010 | Program Result Report

From 2005 to 2008, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago carried out two studies to determine the impact of Title IX legislation on physical activity and obesity in girls and women.