Achieving a State of Healthy Weight (ASHW)
Examining the strength of childhood obesity prevention standards in state child care licensing regulations
Since 2010, the University of Colorado Anschutz College of Nursing has been an academic leader in the national effort to prevent childhood obesity in early care and education (ECE) settings. Each week, approximately 12.5 million children—nearly 60% of U.S. children under age five—participate in ECE programs, making these settings an important opportunity to support healthy growth and development.
What we do
Achieving a State of Healthy Weight (ASHW) assesses how state child care licensing regulations support evidence-based obesity prevention practices across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Now in its 16th year, ASHW tracks state progress and regulatory changes over time using 47 High-Impact Obesity Prevention Standards (HIOPS) across four domains: infant feeding, nutrition, physical activity, and screen time.
In collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity (DNPAO) the ASHW team publishes an Annual Report and updated state profiles each year. Publications are released each September and reflect regulations in effect during the previous calendar year.
ASHW publications
ASHW publications provide state-specific data on regulatory support for the 47 HIOPS across three licensed care types: Child Care Centers, Large Family Child Care Homes, and Small Family Child Care Homes. State profiles allow users to examine current regulatory support and compare progress over time.
Policymakers, licensing officials, public health professionals, researchers, and other ECE partners can use ASHW findings to assess how state regulations support obesity prevention, identify policy successes, monitor changes over time, identify opportunities to strengthen licensing regulations, and inform research, policy, and quality improvement efforts. Current and past ASHW reports, state supplements, and additional Healthy Weight resources are available below.
For more information or inquiries, please contact [email protected].
| ASHW Resources | CDC Resources |