With children staying at home during the pandemic, risk factors for obesity are on the rise. This comes as no surprise, as research finds children are more likely to gain weight during summer months when they are home from school.
Whether you are a teacher, parent, researcher, or practitioner, we all have a role to play in keeping kids healthy and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Check out these resources!
Research repositories:
- Food and COVID-19: RWJF and HER have created a shareable google spreadsheet that lists funded research/projects, publications, and resources related to food insecurity or diet quality/nutritional adequacy and COVID-19.
- International Network for COVID-19 and Physical Activity Research: An online repository of studies focused on COVID-19, physical activity, health, and well-being.
For teachers and parents trying to keep kids active:
- Youth Compendium of Physical Activities for Teachers: NCCOR’s latest fact sheet for the Youth Compendium of Physical Activities helps classroom teachers select moderate to vigorous to keep students active throughout the day. This resource can be adapted for virtual learning!
- COVID-19 and at-home resources: Action for Healthy Kids created these resources to help parents and educators keep kids active and healthy while schools are closed or doing online learning. Resources will be added on an ongoing basis.
- Free Temporary Walkabouts Access for Teachers and Students During COVID-19 Closures: To support efforts to keep students moving and learning while at home due to COVID-19, Dr. Julian A. Reed from Furman University has temporarily made the Walkabouts platform available for free through the end of summer. Walkabouts are active video lessons for children pre-K through 2nd grade.
- Staying Active During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Answers to FAQs on exercise during a pandemic from the American College of Sports Medicine.
Nutrition guidance for practitioners:
- Maximizing WIC’s Role in Supporting Health, Food Security, and Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic: This resource from the Food Research and Action Center outlines key actions that WIC, advocates, partner organizations, and State and local policymakers can take to help preserve access to WIC during this pandemic.
- Summary of Current COVID-19 Child Nutrition Program Response Nationwide Waivers: No Kid Hungry published a table that details all of the nationwide waivers and guidance issued to date by the USDA in response to the coronavirus.
- Healthy Food Policy Project’s COVID-19: Food Access Policy Index: The index compiled local policies that can help keep communities fed during the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies.
- How School Lunch Programs Support Children’s Health Even From A Distance: This resource from Baylor University provides data about how school lunches are working to keep children healthy and how to support them.
For grad students and faculty learning and teaching virtually:
- Measures Registry Learning Modules: NCCOR’s Learning Modules highlight key concepts from the four domain-specific Measures Registry User Guides in four 15-minute videos, making it easier to understand measurement issues in the four major domains of the Measures Registry: individual diet, food environment, individual physical activity, and physical activity environment. If you’re working on a project virtually, watch this webinar to learn more about how this free, online tool can help you.
- NCCOR’s Connect & Explore webinar archive: NCCOR brings together experts from across the childhood obesity research field for webinars on a variety of diet and physical activity topics. Take advantage and get access to these experts without leaving home.
- Exercise, Immunity, and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Learn more about the science of how exercise boosts immunity in this piece from Richard J. Simpson, PhD.
For those looking for general guidance:
- NOPREN’s COVID-19 Response and HER’s Resource Manager: A collection of various guidance resources.
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