Overveiw

The Healthy Communities Study was a large-scale U.S.-based investigation of community policies and programs aimed at reducing childhood obesity.  The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.  It was directed by the Battelle Memorial Institute, and the University of South Carolina was one of three university partners along with the University of California and the University of Kansas.  Publications related to this “parent study” are provided elsewhere on the CPARG website. 

Phase 2 of the Healthy Communities Study (HCS-2) was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Diseases of the Kidney (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health.  The grant was awarded to the University of South Carolina with sub-contracts to the University of California and the University of Kansas.  HCS-2 was undertaken as a secondary analysis of the data that had been collected in the parent study.  The overarching goal of the study was to inform public policies and practices aimed at reducing health disparities related to children’s diet, physical activity and weight status.  The specific aims were focused on identifying attributes of community policies and programs that were associated with children’s diet, physical activity and weight status in demographically diverse sub-groups of communities, families, and children. 

Project Details 

Timeline: 2021-2025

Funding Source: NIH (NIDDK)

Principal Investigator: Russell R. Pate

Co-Investigators: Ed Frongillo, Alex McLain, Lorrene Ritchie, Jerry Schultz

Publications

Community and School Programs, Policies and Environments Related to Child Dietary Intake: The Healthy Communities Study. Pediatric obesity, 2025-07, p.e70043. DOI:10.1111/ijpo.70043