Outlined below are the most promising strategies for preventing childhood obesity through policy intervention and environmental change. These recommendations are based on the RWJF Center’s review of work by the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Healthy Eating Active Living Convergence Partnership, Partnership for Prevention, Transtria, Trust for America’s Health and other leading researchers, institutions and coalitions.

A core part of the center’s mission is to synthesize and review evidence about childhood obesity prevention and actively promote the most feasible and scalable strategies with the potential to deliver the strongest results.  We hope this Web site will become an important resource for leaders and advocates nationwide who are seeking ideas or inspiration for obesity-prevention programs in their communities.  As the center continues its work, and as evidence becomes clearer, we will update this section with emerging evidence related to the strategies listed.  Sign up to receive an e-mail notification whenever we update the evidence related to policy interventions.
 
The strategies below fall into three general categories: shifting children’s diets toward healthy foods and beverages; increasing physical activity; and building awareness and support for the goal of reversing the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015.  These approaches involve a wide range of potential partners, including all levels of governments, schools, child-care providers, community- and faith-based organizations, media and business leaders.  All of these groups must be involved in order to achieve our ambitious goals.
 
Note: Some strategies appear in more than one category because they can be implemented by multiple agencies or authorities.

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