The overall goal of the study is to evaluate new healthy eating and physical activity standards targeting family child care homes in South Carolina. To accomplish this goal, we are assessing the effects of the standards on the dietary intake and physical activity levels of racially diverse low-income children in family child care homes. The specific aims of the "CHEER" study are as follows:
Aim 1. Evaluate the extent to which the new regulatory standards impact children's dietary intake assessed via direct observation in homes and 24-hour recalls with parents, and physical activity and sedentary behavior assessed via accelerometry.
Aim 2. Evaluate the extent to which the new regulatory standards impact children's body mass index computed from researcher-measured height and weight.
Secondary Aim. Evaluate the extent to which family child care homes in the SC ABC Child Care Program comply with the new healthy eating and physical activity regulatory standards, compared to family child care homes not participating in the program.
We hypothesize that most homes will comply with the new standards, yielding improvements in children's healthy eating and physical activity levels. As an exploratory aim, we will examine the effects of the standards on children's weight status.
