Resources & Publications

Food and Food System Resources During COVID-19 Pandemic Resources and a hunger hotline for individuals and families seeking food assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guidance is also available for food assistance programs and food system stakeholders.

CDC Vital Signs

Hospital Actions Affect Breastfeeding: CDC Vital Signs Report October 2015 Hospital practices in the first hours and days after birth make the difference in whether and how long babies are breastfed.

Reducing Sodium in Children’s Diets: CDC Vital Signs September 2014 High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Lowering sodium in children’s diets today can help prevent heart disease tomorrow, especially for those who are overweight.

Progress on children eating more fruit, but not more vegetables: CDC Vital Signs August 2014 CDC trend data finds that US children ages 2-18 are eating more fruit, but not more vegetables. Child care and schools can help children meet daily recommendations.

Progress on Childhood Obesity CDC Vital Signs Report August 2013 Many states show declines, but there is more work to be done to continue the downward trend.

Hospital Support for Breastfeeding: CDC Vital Signs Report August 2011 Breastfeeding helps protect against childhood obesity. A baby’s risk of becoming an overweight child goes down with each month of breastfeeding.

Adult Obesity: CDC Vital Signs Report August 2010 Obesity is common, serious, and costly. In 2009, about 2.4 million more adults were obese than in 2007. More efforts are needed, and new federal initiatives are helping to change our communities into places that strongly support healthy eating and active living.

Food Service Guidelines

Food Service Guidelines
Food service guidelines are used to create a food environment in which healthier choices are made easier for consumers. This section contains documents and fact sheets pertaining to food service guidelines.

State Indicator and Report cards

Breastfeeding

2020 Breastfeeding Report Card pdf icon[PDF-592KB] provides state-by-state data to help public health practitioners, health professionals, community members, child care providers, and family members work together to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.

Fruits and Vegetables

The State Indicator Report on Fruits & Vegetables pdf icon[PDF-4.22MB] provides national and state-level information on how many fruits and vegetables people are eating, and highlights key areas within communities and schools that can be improved to increase fruit and vegetable access, availability, and affordability.

• State Action Guides pdf icon[PDF-20.6MB]

Children’s Food Environment

Children’s Food Environment State Indicator Report, 2011 pdf icon[PDF-768KB] highlights selected behaviors, environments, and policies that affect childhood obesity through support of healthy eating.

• National Action Guide pdf icon[PDF-616KB] provides potential actions that state leaders, coalitions, community-based organizations, and professionals can take alone or in partnership to support state residents’ purchase and consumption of more healthful foods.
• Census Tract Level State Maps of the Modified Retail Food Environment Index (mRFEI) pdf icon[PDF–58.5MB] includes maps of the mRFEI for each state and Washington D.C. These maps can be used to help identify census tracts within states or communities that either lack access to healthy food retailers such as supermarkets or contain very high densities of fast food restaurants and convenience stores relative to the number of healthy food retailers. States and communities can also use data from the mRFEI Data Table excel icon[Excel–5.04MB] to create their own maps using GIS software or link the mRFEI data to other census-tract level data they may have available.

Prevention Status Reports

The 2013 Prevention Status Reports (PSRs), highlight the status of policies and practices designed to prevent or reduce problems affecting public health. Individual reports are available for all 50 states and the District of Columbia on 10 health topics including Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. The PSR Quick Start Guide provides tips and tools to help state health officials and other public health leaders use the PSRs to advance evidence-based public health practices in their states.

Surgeon General’s Reports

2011 – The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeedingexternal icon

The Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nationexternal icon

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs)

• Vital Signs: Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among Children — United States, 2003–2010; from August 2014
• Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption Among Adults — 18 States, 2012; from August 2014
• Restaurant Menu Labeling Use Among Adults — 17 States, 2012; from July 2014
• Access to Healthier Food Retailers – United States, 2011; from November 2011
• Beverage Consumption Among High School Students – United States, 2010; from June 2011
• Obesity – United States, 1999 – 2010; from November 2011
• Vital Signs: Hospital Practices to Support Breastfeeding – United States, 2007 and 2009; from August 2011

Visit CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs) for more information on this topic.

Tools

Healthy Hospital Environments and Toolkit provides guidance to hospital nutritionists, human resources and employee health staff, and others who wish to promote and support healthy food, beverage, and physical activity options in hospitals.

Training

CDC Growth Chart Training Website offers a set of self-directed, interactive training courses for health care professionals using the pediatric growth charts in clinical and public health settings to assess growth of infants, children, and teens.