September 2026

National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month: Striking the Right Balance Between Prevention and Treatment

September 2026, NCCOR

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month (NCOAM), an opportunity to raise awareness, share evidence-based resources, and strengthen efforts to support children’s health. For more than 15 years, NCCOR has been a leader in building evidence and advancing practice to reduce childhood obesity in the United States, creating a healthier future for all children, their families, and communities. A key part of NCCOR’s approach is designing tools and resources to support researchers and practitioners in their efforts to address emerging topics in the field.

Childhood obesity research is entering a period of transformative change. A growing recognition of the complex drivers of health, coupled with rapid scientific advances—including the approval and increasing use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and other obesity medications (OMs)—has created new opportunities and responsibilities for the field. As these advancements reshape approaches to obesity treatment, it remains essential to keep prevention at the forefront and continue investing in efforts to prevent obesity before it develops.

This NCOAM, NCCOR is highlighting some of its newest and most popular resources related to the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity.

New Resource Coming Soon! Clinical Research Gaps in Pediatric Obesity Pharmacotherapy Workshop White Paper 

Later this month, NCCOR will be releasing a new white paper highlighting actionable, clinically relevant research priorities and tools that could support practitioners over the next two to three years in the initiation, maintenance, and discontinuation of OMs for youth. In addition to a set of 35 priority research questions, the white paper contains a series of clinical protocols, outcomes, and suggested tools to be developed in order to address gaps in pediatric obesity pharmacotherapy, guide future research, and accelerate improvements in the quality and consistency of care for youth with obesity. The executive summary is available now here. Stay tuned for the release of the full white paper later this month!

A Toolkit for Evaluating Children’s Healthy Weight Programs

This resource makes it easier for public health practitioners and researchers implementing childhood healthy weight programs (CHWPs) to assess the impact of their programs, and therefore, improve program effectiveness and sustainability. The toolkit offers an overview of program evaluation and provides guidance on evaluation readiness, process measures, outcome measures, contextual factors, program sustainability, and remote evaluation of CHWPs.

A Guide to Methods for Assessing Childhood Obesity

This resource is designed for researchers, public health practitioners, clinicians, or any professional or student with an interest in researching or evaluating weight-related outcomes. The guide helps users understand the most common adiposity assessment methods and helps them in selecting the most appropriate method of measuring adiposity in children when conducting population-level research and/or evaluation on obesity.

NCOAM reminds us that meaningful progress happens when research, practice, and community action come together. As the field continues to evolve, NCCOR remains committed to providing the tools, resources, and scientific leadership needed to support informed decision-making and improved health outcomes for children. During NCOAM, explore all eight NCCOR tools and our library of other resources, share them with your networks throughout the month, and follow NCCOR on LinkedIn and X for the latest updates, including the release of our new white paper.

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NCCOR Toolbox: Coming Soon! NCCOR Rapid Infant Growth Workshop Recordings

September 2026, NCCOR

There is strong and growing clinical and public health interest in identifying growth that is either faster or slower than expected during the first two years of life, given evidence linking early growth trajectories to later obesity and chronic disease risk. However, there is currently no consensus on how best to define, measure, and longitudinally track rapid infant growth using existing growth standards, nor is there clarity about which specific period of rapid weight gain in infancy is most predictive of later risk.

In response, NCCOR recently convened a workshop convening over 50 experts from around the world to assess the strengths and limitations of existing growth measures, evaluate which metrics are best suited for research and clinical practice, and identify key evidence gaps that must be addressed to support consistent, evidence-based approaches to obesity prevention, population health surveillance, and early intervention strategies. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for a dedicated workshop webpage on our website, where the presentation recordings and materials will be available.

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TMFAs Navigator Tool

September 2026, The Center for Implementation

The TMFAs Navigator Tool is a free, interactive resource that helps you explore commonly used theories, models, frameworks, and approaches (TMFAs) in implementation science. Rather than presenting an exhaustive list, it organizes TMFAs by the function they can serve, so you can start with what you’re trying to accomplish and find relevant options more easily.

This tool was developed alongside the TMFAs in Action toolkit, which takes you further by helping you understand, compare, select, combine, and apply TMFAs in your work.

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Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) Year 6 Impact Findings

August 2026, Nutrition Incentive Hub

The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) helps millions of Americans access and consume fruits and vegetables (FVs), which are emphasized in the latest edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans given their roles in health promotion and disease prevention. GusNIP also generates significant positive impacts on the American food system, including small and midsized farmers. Administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in collaboration with the Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA), GusNIP is comprised of three competitive grant programs: 1) Nutrition Incentive Program (NI), 2) Produce Prescription Program (PRP), and 3) The Nutrition Incentive Program Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation, and Information Center (NTAE).

This year’s Impact Findings Report (September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2025) demonstrates how GusNIP NI and PPR projects continue to bring together farmers, retailers, healthcare providers, and community organizations to deliver targeted support that increases consumer purchasing power while expanding American markets for FVs. Through its dollar-for-dollar matching requirement3 and reinvestment across farm direct and -and-mortar retail settings, GusNIP generates sustained consumer demand, improves farmer profitability, and strengthens regional agriculture and related market infrastructure. When incentives are redeemed, participating retailers and farms benefit from increased sales. Due to GusNIP, American consumers benefit. Altogether, GusNIP advances USDA’s commitment to strengthen federal nutrition programs that promote healthy individuals, families, and communities in the U.S.

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Local Food Policy Resource Hub

August 2026, The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems

The Local Food Policy Resource Hub is meant to serve a wide-ranging audience, including policymakers, practitioners, government officials and representatives, researchers, educators, and community leaders. It offers a place to explore how states and municipalities across the United States are shaping laws and policies to support locally grown food. This curated collection of resources includes reports, guides, fact sheets, toolkits, and other publications that analyze or inform local and regional food systems law and policy. This collection includes resources published by the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems as well as resources published by other institutes and organizations working in food and agricultural policy. The target audience of these resources includes farmers, market managers, policymakers, government workers, and organizations.

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Understanding Ultra-processed Foods

August 11, 2026, Public Health Collaborative

Most foods we eat undergo some form of processing, but some foods are more heavily processed than others. This resource, developed with Healthy Eating Research, explains what ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are, how they differ from other types of processed foods, and what research says about their potential health impacts. It also offers practical tips to help people identify UPFs and make informed food choices while considering factors such as nutrition, cost, and convenience.

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Bedtime Inconsistency, Sugary Drink Consumption, and Anxiety Among a Nationally Representative Sample of U.S. Children

August 19, 2026, Childhood Obesity

Background

Bedtime consistency is a family-regulated routine associated with children’s sleep and emotional well-being. Irregular bedtimes may co-occur with unhealthy dietary behaviors, including sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, which has been linked to child anxiety and obesity risk. However, population-level studies examining these behaviors across both mental and physical health outcomes remain limited.

Methods

Data were drawn from the 2024 National Survey of Children’s Health and restricted to children aged 3–17 years. Design-based logistic regression models examined associations between bedtime inconsistency, sugary drink consumption, anxiety, and overweight or obesity (≥85th percentile). Analyses accounted for complex survey design and adjusted for age group, sex, and race or ethnicity. Sensitivity analyses incorporated socioeconomic, family, and behavioral characteristics.

Results

Children with inconsistent bedtimes had higher odds of frequent sugary drink consumption (aOR = 2.51, 95% CI: 2.10–3.00) and moderate consumption (aOR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.23–1.72). Frequent sugary drink consumption was associated with higher odds of anxiety (aOR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.10–1.49). Bedtime inconsistency remained associated with anxiety in demographic-adjusted (aOR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.63–2.18) and fully adjusted sensitivity analyses (aOR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.33–1.79). Bedtime inconsistency was associated with overweight or obesity in demographic-adjusted models but was attenuated following expanded adjustment. In contrast, sugary drink consumption remained associated with overweight or obesity across model specifications.

Conclusions

Bedtime inconsistency was consistently associated with anxiety, whereas sugary drink consumption demonstrated more robust associations with overweight or obesity. These findings suggest that sleep-related routines and dietary behaviors may represent distinct, modifiable correlates of child mental and physical health.

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Changes in US Youth With Neighborhood Built Environment Supports for Physical Activity by Sociodemographic Characteristics, 2016–2017 to 2022–2023

August 19, 2026, Journal of Physical Activity and Health

Background

Neighborhood built environments (BE) can influence youth physical activity levels. There are no published national surveillance reports of changes of such BE attributes over time. This study aims to describe the prevalence of 4 types of neighborhood BE supports for youth physical activity and report changes over time from 2016–2017 to 2022–2023, overall and by sociodemographic subgroups.

Methods

Using adult proxy-reported data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, we estimated prevalence with 95% confidence intervals of neighborhood sidewalks or walking paths, parks/playgrounds, libraries, and recreation centers among youth aged 6–17 years across 2016–2017, 2018–2019, 2020–2021, and 2022–2023 (n = 215,634), overall and by sociodemographic subgroups. For each neighborhood support, we presented the prevalence difference between 2016–2017 and 2022–2023 and tested for differences in magnitude of change between subgroups. We also tested linear and quadratic trends across all 4 timepoints.

Results 

From 2016–2017 to 2022–2023, the proportion of US youth with neighborhood sidewalks/walking paths or parks/playgrounds increased, while the proportion who have neighborhood libraries or recreation centers decreased. Changes over time were not consistent across sociodemographic subgroups. For example, increases in sidewalks and parks/playgrounds only occurred among high-income youth, whereas decreases in libraries and recreation centers only occurred among low-income youth.

Conclusions

These results provide important surveillance information on neighborhood BE supports for youth physical activity among various US sociodemographic groups, which can be used to prioritize policy and environmental interventions where needed most.

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Systematic Review of the Relationship Between the Presence and Quality of Sidewalks and Children’s Physical Health

August 16, 2026, Childhood Obesity

Background

This systematic review synthesized existing research about associations between sidewalk availability and quality and children’s physical health outcomes.

Methods

Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched. The initial search strategy was intentionally broad, encompassing all age groups and physical health outcomes in relation to sidewalk access, quality, and connectivity. One hundred and eighty-four eligible studies were identified among 17,726; the retained studies were categorized by age group. This review focuses on 39 articles that specifically examined associations between sidewalk infrastructure and physical health outcomes in children. Eligible studies included both observational and experimental designs, were published in English through March 2025, and reported at least one physical health metric in relation to some aspect of sidewalk characteristics.

Results

The included studies (n = 39) were conducted in diverse geographic regions, with the majority based in North America. Most studies employed cross-sectional designs, and both objective and subjective measures for sidewalk metrics and health outcomes were common. The most frequently analyzed health outcomes were physical activity (PA), active transportation, and outdoor play (n = 23), followed by BMI or weight-related measures (n = 11), or both (n = 5). Overall, sidewalk presence and quality were consistently associated with higher levels of various forms of PA, while associations with weight-related outcomes were inconsistent.

Conclusions

Current evidence indicates that sidewalk availability and quality are more consistently linked to children’s PA behaviors. Computer vision, deep learning, and automated image-based environmental audits should be used to assess sidewalk attributes that increase children’s PA. Future research should also prioritize longitudinal and quasi-experimental approaches to improve causal inference.

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Program and Family Predictors of Retention and Weight Loss Among Black Youth in a Pediatric Weight Management Program

August 6, 2026, Childhood Obesity

Background

Gaps in knowledge about youth in pediatric weight management programs (PWMPs) include family and program factors related to retention and youth weight loss, specifically for Black families. The objective of this study was to identify family and program factors associated with retention and weight loss among Black youth in a PWMP.

Methods

A total of 49 parent-child (ages 6–15) dyads who identified as Black at a PWMP had youth weight/height recorded through 12 months, program factors (total encounters and early weight loss), retention (at 6 months and total days retained), and completed assessments of family factors (family functioning, weekly family dinners) at their initial visit. Logistic regression, Wilcoxon rank-sum, and repeated-measure ANOVA were conducted to assess associations between family and program factors with retention at 6-months and weight loss at 6 and 12-months.

Results

A total of 42.9% of dyads were retained; each additional unique provider encounter resulted in 1.78 times greater odds of being retained. Youth who lost weight within 3 months were retained in the PWMP for more days compared to children who did not (p < 0.001). Dyads who participated in family dinners >4 days per week were more likely to be retained (p < 0.027). Youth in families with healthy family functioning were more likely to have a lower BMI at 6 months (p = 0.030).

Conclusions

Black youth who experienced earlier weight loss, more provider encounters, and family dinners most of the week were more likely to be retained. Youth in families with healthy family functioning were more likely to have lower BMI at 6 months.

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Reliability and Repeatability of At-Home Parent-Reported Height and Weight Measurement of Young Children

August 3, 2026, Childhood Obesity

Abstract

Accurate anthropometric measurement is essential for monitoring child growth, yet access to in-person measurement collection can be limited. This study examines the reliability and repeatability of height and weight measurements taken at home by a single parent compared to those taken by a trained researcher team in a clinical setting. Thirty children aged 2–5 years enrolled in the TARGet Kids! cohort were measured by two trained researchers working in a pair and by their parent at home using standardized instructions. Technical error of measurement (TEM), relative TEM (%TEM), and the coefficient of reliability (R) were used to assess measurement reliability. Results demonstrated high reliability and repeatability of parent-reported measurements, particularly for weight. Bland–Altman plots showed slightly greater variation in height measurements collected by the parent at home, though still within acceptable limits. These findings support the use of parent-collected anthropometry at home, which may enhance accessibility for research and clinical care when in-person measurement is not feasible.

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