Physical Activity

Nutrition Policy Institute director Hannah Thompson was selected as a UCDC Presidential Faculty Fellow through the University of California Washington Program. The fellowship brings together UC faculty to Washington, DC after equipping them with the skills to engage with policymakers on Capitol Hill on…

In July 2025, an executive order renewed national focus on youth physical activity by reestablishing the Presidential Fitness Test; however, implementation was left up to existing state policy systems. Because effective school-based fitness testing depends on a strong physical education infrastructure,…

Playworks, a national nonprofit organization that promotes structured, inclusive recess in low-income elementary schools, has been shown to improve student engagement, physical activity, and school climate. However, little is known about whether programs like Playworks—where trained adults lead games that…

Childcare centers and homes aim to create a healthy environment, but holistically assessing practices and identifying what to improve is often challenging. A recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior highlights the reliability and validity of the Site-Level…

A recent study featured in Axios San Diego highlights new research suggesting that well-supported recess programs may play a role in improving school attendance. The study, led by Nutrition Policy Institute director, Hannah Thompson, and colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, examined low…

A 2026 longitudinal study assessed 13 years of school-based fitness testing data from New York City students in grades 4-12 at 1,721 public schools. Researchers used data from three FitnessGram tests -aerobic capacity, push-ups, and curl-ups -and looked at how many students were meeting age- and…

Director of the Nutrition Policy Institute, Hannah Thompson, will present alongside colleagues from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg American Health Initiative, Erin Hager and Rachel Deitch, in an upcoming webinar through the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research, or NCCOR, Connect &…