The Importance of Nutrition and Physical
Activity Standards for Child Care Settings
Sara Gable, Ph.D.
University of Missouri, Columbia
MOCAN Conference (Apr 2015)
Topics
a. Important background
b. Expert recommendations to guide state
policies and best practices
c. Current state child care regulations for
promoting children’s healthy weight.
d. Conclusions and future considerations
MOCAN Conference (Apr 2015)
Background
Obesity in Child* and Adult# Population
50
40
2-5 yrs
30
6-11 yrs
Children’s dietary intake
Some improvement (e.g., less full fat
milk)
Concerns: too few fruits and
vegetables and too many sugary
beverages, sweets, and salty snacks
Evidence of extra calories
* Fox et al., 2010; Kranz et al., 2004; USDA, 2009
12-19 yrs
20
10
20-39 yrs
Activity habits
40-59 yrs
Screen time (~ 25 hours per week for
2 to 5 year olds)
33% TVs in the bedroom
* Nielsen, 2009; KFF, 2006
0
* NHANES 2011-2012: At or above the 95th %-tile BMI for age and
gender; # BMI at or above 30 (Ogden, Carroll, Kit, & Flegal, 2014)
Sleep
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Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity* in Children and
Adolescents: 2011-2012 (NHANES)
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2 - 5 yrs
6 - 11 yrs
12 - 19 yrs
Girls
Boys
•Overweight and obese groups combined: > the 85th %-tile BMI for age and sex
(Ogden, Carroll, Kit, & Flegal, 2014)
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*Overweight kindergarteners
4 times more likely to be
obese at age 14 than nonoverweight peers
(Cunningham et al., 2014)
Excess weight during childhood touches every
area of human development
Implications for human capital
formation troubling (“The
competencies, knowledge, and
personality attributes embodied
in the ability to perform labor so
as to produce economic value.”;
Becker)
http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/HumanCapital.html
Academic performance and
school functioning
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Children’s Child Care
Arrangements
o
o
o
o
o
o
61% of young children at least one child care arrangement per
week.
29% have multiple arrangements per week.
Young children with employed mothers: 33 hrs in child care
centers, 32 hrs in home-based child care.
Average child experiences 5 different child care settings before
kindergarten.
Up to 75% of child daily nutritional needs can be met in child care.
In FY 2014, 3.6 million children were served meals and snacks per
day as part of the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
* Laughlin, 2013; Belsky et al., 2007; ADA, 2011
MOCAN Conference (Apr 2015)
Expert Recommendations (and Rules) to
Guide State Child Care Nutrition and
Physical Activity Standards
CACFP Meal Patterns Proposed Rule:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp/meals-and-snacks
April, 2015
June, 2011
2012
June, 2011
MOCAN Conference (Apr 2015)
National Association for Regulatory Administration. The 50-state child care licensing study:
2011-2013 Edition (Appendix A and Appendix B)
MOCAN Conference (Apr 2015)
National Association for Regulatory Administration. The 50-state child care licensing study: 20112013 Edition (Appendix A and Appendix B)
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What Distinguishes Today’s Young Children?
o
o
o
o
o
o
Fewer of them (relative to population) 2013 all-time low general
fertility (62.5 births per 1,000 women aged 15-44)
Greater racial and ethnic diversity (just under 50% of people under 18
are members of “minority” groups)
One in 4 children under 6 lives in poverty (14.3% White, 42.3% Black,
36.8% Hispanic).
More than half of infants born in 2013 participated in WIC.
Obesity in young children more prevalent in low income households.
Parents working as hard as ever: 64% of mothers with children under 6
are employed, 72% of them work 35 or more hours per week.
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What distinguishes today’s Child Care Providers?
o
o
o
o
Child care workforce includes ~ 2 million people; 1 million work in
centers and 1 million work for wages in home settings.
Child care employment pays poorly (median hourly wage for center
staff = $10.60), even for those with a BA (median hourly wage =
$14.70)
46% of child care providers live in households that participate in
select public support programs (EITC, Medicaid, SNAP, TANF)
compared with 25% of overall US civilian workforce.
Child care workforce at increased risk for obesity and chronic
health conditions.
National Survey of Early Care and Education Project Team. (2013).
Whitebook, M., Philips, D., & Howes, C. (2014).
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Conclusions
o Nutrition and physical activity standards for child
care settings more important than ever.
o Address adults − parents and child care providers −
along with children.
o Keep up the good work!
Care2bWell: A Worksite Physical Activity & Wellness Program for Child Care Staff
Ward, Dianne Stanton Linnan, Laura A.
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
MOCAN Conference (Apr 2015)