Nutrition and physical activity environments in Los Angeles County child care: The current landscape and opportunities for policy change

The increasing incidence and prevalence of overweight in young children is of particular concern to the public health community. A growing number of studies are demonstrating that the preschool ages are particularly critical in obesity prevention. Age of onset of overweight has emerged as a key risk factor in obesity: overweight preschoolers are more likely than normal-weight preschoolers to become obese adults. Each working day, over 250,000 infants and children ages 0-5 in California's Los Angeles County spend most of their waking day and consume most of their nutrition in licensed out-of-home childcare or preschool, making these facilities an essential environment to include in the county's early childhood overweight prevention efforts. This study examines the effect of the type of child care facility (Head Start, State Preschool, Center-based, or Family Child Care Home) and the facility's participation in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) on the nutrition quality of meals served, observed mealtime behaviors and physical activity environments. Data from quantitative and qualitative surveys collected through meal observations in child care facilities, interviews with key informants and a stakeholders convening will be presented. Findings will be translated into a list of specific policy recommendations targeted to the needs of Los Angeles County.