Prevention Strategies & Guidelines

To reverse the obesity epidemic, places and practices need to support healthy eating and active living in many settings. Below are recommended strategies to prevent obesity.

Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Prevention Strategies

The CDC Guide to Strategies to Increase Physical Activity in the Community [PDF-1.2MB] provides guidance for program managers, policy makers, and others on how to select strategies to increase physical activity.

The CDC Guide to Strategies to Increase the Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables [PDF-2.1MB] provides guidance for program managers, policy makers, and others on how to select strategies to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables.

The CDC Guide to Breastfeeding Interventions provides state and local community members information to choose the breastfeeding intervention strategy that best meets their needs.

Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States [PDF-376KB] contains 24 recommended obesity prevention strategies focusing on environmental and policy level change initiatives that can be implemented by local governments and school districts to promote healthy eating and active living.

• Implementation and Measurement Guide [PDF-2.6MB] can help communities implement the recommended obesity prevention strategies and report on the associated measurements.
• Healthy Communities: What Local Governments Can Do to Reduce and Prevent Obesity [PPT-8.5MB] is a presentation developed for use by local government staff that makes the case for investing in CDC’s Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States [PDF – 375KB] . Also available in a PDF version [PDF-3.8MB].

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Early Care and Education Strategies

CDC’s framework for obesity prevention, in the ECE setting is known as the Spectrum of Opportunities [PDF-287KB]. The Spectrum identifies ways that states, and to some extent communities, can support child care and early education facilities to achieve recommended standards and best practices for obesity prevention. The Spectrum aligns with comprehensive national ECE standards for obesity prevention address nutrition, infant feeding, physical activity and screen time, Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards (CFOC), 3rd ed. [PDF-4.71MB]

School Health Guidelines

School Health Guidelines to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity provides nine guidelines that serve as the foundation for developing, implementing, and evaluating school-based healthy eating and physical activity policies and practices for students in grades K-12.

School-Based Obesity Prevention Strategies for State Policymakers [PDF-240KB] is designed to assist program coordinators in their efforts to inform and engage governors, state agencies, and state boards of education on how they can help address childhood obesity.

Community Guide

The Community Guide – Obesity Prevention and Control is a free resource to help you choose programs and policies to prevent and control obesity in your community.

Clinical Guidelines

Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults: The Evidence Report [PDF-1.2 MB} are the first guidelines developed by the Federal Government to address overweight and obesity.

Screening for Obesity in Pediatric Primary Care: Recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force. Guidance for primary care providers in screening for obesity and weight management interventions.

Obesity and Weight Management in Children and Adolescents: Screening and Interventions

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