Consuming a healthy diet consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 can help individuals achieve and maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases, and promote good health. However, many children are consuming excess calories, while not meeting nutrient needs, and are overweight/obese and/or at increased risk for a variety of chronic diseases.
The USDA supports and funds a wide range of nutrition education programs, delivered via different methods and channels, designed to help Americans consume healthier diets. The purpose of this project was to conduct a series of systematic reviews to better understand how to effectively deliver nutrition education to improve the dietary intake-related behaviors of children and adolescents, and promote consumption of a healthy diet consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) supported this research in order to answer targeted nutrition education-related questions to inform guidance, policy, and program development related to FNS-administered nutrition education programs.
This report contains the methodology, systematic review questions, conclusion statements and grades, evidence summaries, research recommendations, and search plans and results for a series of systematic reviews on the effects of nutrition education on children’s and adolescents’ dietary intake.