In 2020, the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) – a public-private partnership among the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the U.S. Research shows that the pandemic resulted in lockdowns, which reduced nutritional quality of children's diets, food security status, and physical activity levels while children were not in child care ( 4, 6, 7).ĬOVID-19 response and recovery efforts in child care are likely to have short-term and longer-term impacts on behavioral, household, societal, and economic influences on population health and well-being, including weight status ( 8). A recent study estimated that preschool enrollment decreased 14 percentage points from 2019 to 2020 ( 5). The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic devastated many systems in the U.S., including child care settings ( 4). Notably, research has shown that the child care system plays a critical role in childhood health and wellness, including the prevention of obesity ( 3). Child care quality and access is a key area of the social determinants of health (SDOH) which affect a wide range of health risks and outcomes ( 2). In 2019, an estimated 59 percent of children five and younger were in non-parental care at least 1 day a week, and of those, 82 percent were enrolled in center-based care or family day care homes ( 1). The child care system is a critical component to aid in child development in the United States (U.S.). Continued programmatic and public health recovery efforts aimed to mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19 are critical to fostering health and wellbeing in child care settings. Results: Primary findings included: 1) COVID-19 likely increased stress and exacerbated prevalence of food insecurity for child care staff and participating families, and decreased diet quality among children both while in and outside of child care 2) flexibilities to federal child care requirements, outdoor learning opportunities, and meal provision strategies implemented during the pandemic were perceived as positive and could continue post-pandemic and 3) future efforts could utilize the recovery funds to make changes that are equitable and sustainable, such as conducting equity assessments and collaborating with community organizations, along with evaluating impacts of these efforts on food insecurity and health of child care staff and participating children.Ĭonclusion: Overall, recommendations focused on several social determinants of health, including addressing food insecurity among both children and staff, and infrastructure for nutrition and physical activity. Virtual interviews lasted approximately 45 to 60 minutes and were recorded, transcribed, and coded for themes and subthemes using thematic content analysis. Recruitment continued until saturation was achieved. In June 2021, the investigators conducted 17 qualitative interviews with federal representatives ( n = 4), practitioners ( n = 7), and researchers ( n = 6). Methods: The study utilized a qualitative content analysis approach. Thus, this study explored: 1) how COVID-19 impacted nutrition and physical activity in child care settings and how to address these challenges moving forward 2) potential best practices in child care that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic worth continuing and 3) future directions for accessing, implementing, and evaluating COVID-19 federal investments in child care settings. Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic created a series of challenges for children's health, including several challenges related to nutrition and physical activity in child care settings. ![]() ![]() ![]() 3Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States.2Health Behaviors Research Branch, Behavioral Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States.1Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, Omaha, NE, United States.
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