The largest source of added sugar in kids’ diets is sugary drinks. Drinking too many high-sugar drinks increases the risk for overweight in kids and adults and can cause dental cavities. Teaching kids the importance of limiting their consumption, creating environments that are free of sugary drinks, and communicating these messages to parents and families are critical ways to reduce sugary drink intake.
Curricula & Trainings
Eat Well & Keep Moving
Cheung LWY, Dart H, Kalin S, Otis B, Gortmaker SL. Eat Well & Keep Moving: An Interdisciplinary Elementary Curriculum Nutrition and Physical Activity (Third Edition). Human Kinetics, Champaign, Illinois, 2016.
Newsletter Handouts
Newsletter handouts to send home (educators can send home these sample newsletters to inform parents and complement the Eat Well & Keep Moving lesson topic being taught in the classroom). Newsletter handouts related to sugary drinks:
–Stay Cool
–Be Sugar Smart
–Tune Out the TV
Trainings
Training Workshop for Food Service Staff
Six training modules for food service staff provide an overview of the Eat Well & Keep Moving program, focusing on the role of food services in making the link between classroom and cafeteria. An additional lunch break demonstrates some cafeteria dishes.
Training Workshop for Teachers
Six training sessions provide teachers with an overview of the Eat Well & Keep Moving program as well as a review of the curriculum’s classroom lessons. The training workshop is designed to last a total of six hours.
Food & Fun After School
Full, 600-page Food & Fun After School curriculum
This curriculum includes all units, planning tools, recipes, and parent materials. Units related to sugary drinks:
– Unit 3: Sugar Sweetened Drinks—Be Sugar Smart!
– Unit 8: Reduce TV Viewing—Tune Out the TV!
– Unit 10: Hydration—Be Active, Stay Cool!
– Unit 11: Food & Fun Finale!
Staff Training
Food & Fun After School has several training strategies to help afterschool staff learn about and implement the curriculum, including training videos.
Parent Handouts
These handouts – available in English, Spanish, and Chinese – include topic area information and tips for success for parents to create healthier environments for their children. Parent handouts related to sugary drinks:
– Take Control of TV
– Hydration
Learn more about Food & Fun After School here.
Planet Health
Citation: Carter J, Wiecha JL, Peterson KE, Nobrega S, Gortmaker SL. Planet Health: An Interdisciplinary Curriculum for Teaching Middle School Nutrition and Physical Activity (Second Edition). Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics; 2007.
Lesson
– Lesson 19: Pass the Sugar
Learn more about Planet Health here.
Fact Sheets
Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study (CHOICES) Project
>>Featured resources:
Get the Facts: Sugary Drink Consumption
The team at the Prevention Research Center on Nutrition and Physical Activity and the CHOICES Project team, along with input from key partners, present fact sheets that align with our priority areas. This fact sheet highlights the latest evidence on sugary drink consumption and practical tips for making healthier beverage choices.
Get the Facts: Low- and No-Calorie Sweetened Drinks
The team at the Prevention Research Center on Nutrition and Physical Activity and the CHOICES Project team, along with input from key partners, present fact sheets that align with our priority areas. This fact sheet highlights the latest evidence on low- and no-calorie sweetened drinks.
Learn more about the CHOICES Project here and browse more resources in the CHOICES Resource Library.
Out-of-School Nutrition and Physical Activity (OSNAP) Initiative
Tip Sheets
These tip sheets, informed by out-of-school/afterschool program experiences, can help afterschool and other out-of-school-time programs make sustainable changes to program practices. They are practical guides designed to simplify healthy changes and describe promising practices for out-of-school/afterschool staff. OSNAP tip sheets related to sugary drinks:
– Turn Off that Screen!
– Water, Water Everywhere!
– Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
– Healthy Staff, Healthy Kids!
Learn more about OSNAP here.
Tools & Guides
Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study (CHOICES) Project
>>Featured resource:
Strategy Profile: Sugary Drink Excise Tax
A sugary drink excise tax is an excise tax assessed on manufacturers, bottlers, and/or distributors of sugary drinks based on the size of the sugary beverage distributed to consumers. This profile (specific to a sugary drink excise tax of 1 cent per ounce) describes the estimated benefits, activities, resources, and leadership needed to implement this strategy, which can be useful for planning and prioritization purposes.
Learn more about the CHOICES Project here and browse more tools & guides related to sugary drinks in the CHOICES Resource Library.
Food & Fun & Family
A Guide to Help Busy Families Develop Healthier Habits at Home
This guide contains lots tips and ideas for meals and activities that are healthy and fun for the whole family.
Recipe Packet
This recipe packet contains fun, healthy, and inexpensive recipes that are quick to prepare for both snack and dinner time.
Learn more about Food & Fun here.
Out-of-School Nutrition and Physical Activity (OSNAP) Initiative
Fast Maps
These tools are designed to help out-of-school/afterschool program staff overcome systematic challenges that go beyond the site level. For example, addressing issues of limited space for physical activity in out-of-school/afterschool programs might involve meeting with school principals or partnering with nearby community spaces. OSNAP Fast Maps related to sugary drinks:
–Reducing Screen Time
–Improving Water Consumption
–Eliminating Sugary Drinks from Snacks Served
Practice Assessment Tool
This form can help out-of-school/afterschool program staff see where their program is currently at regarding the OSNAP standards. This form will help identify areas an organization can take action on to improve the health of kids.
Learn more about OSNAP here.
Research Briefs & Reports
Massachusetts CHOICES (MA-CHOICES) Project
Research Brief: Boston, MA: Creating Healthier Afterschool Environments (OSNAP)
–View as an accessible webpage
–Download as a PDF
Learn more about the MA-CHOICES project here.
Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study (CHOICES) Project
>>Featured resources:
CHOICES Sugary Drink Excise Tax Evaluations
The CHOICES Project has evaluated the potential impact of a variety of policies and programs to reduce sugary drink consumption, including a sugary drink excise tax. The team has estimate the impact on health of a sugary drink excise tax in Washington, New Hampshire, and Alaska, and the impact on health and health equity in Hawaii, Minnesota, Denver, Utah, California, New York City, and New York state.
Learn more about the CHOICES Project here and browse more research briefs & reports related to sugary drinks in the CHOICES Resource Library.
External Resources
The Nutrition Source, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
–Healthy Drinks
–Water
–Sugary Drinks
–Low-Calorie Sweeteners
Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity (DNPAO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network (NOPREN)
Team Nutrition, United States Department of Food and Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service