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Intakes of sodium, saturated fat, and trans fat remain high despite recommendations to limit these nutrients for cardiometabolic risk reduction. A major contributor to intake of these nutrients is foods prepared outside the home, particularly from fast-food restaurants.

Excess intakes of energy, sodium, saturated fat, and trans fat are associated with increased risk for cardiometabolic syndrome. Trends in fast-food restaurant portion sizes can inform policy decisions. We examined the variability of popular food items in 3 fast-food restaurants in the United States by portion size during the past 18 years.

The 2 articles by Urban and colleagues published this week in Preventing Chronic Disease report 15-year trends in sodium, trans fat, and saturated fat, 3 food components associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease and obesity, in frequently ordered meal items (French fries, cheeseburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, and regular cola) from leading US national fast food chain restaurants.

Curtis Croker, MPH1, Rachel Civen, MD1, Kathleen Keough2, Van Ngo, MPH1, Amy Marutani1, Benjamin Schwartz, MD1 (Author affiliations at end of text).

Michelle M. Dynes, PhD1, Laura Miller, MPH2, Tamba Sam, MPH2, Mohamed Alex Vandi, MD3, Barbara Tomczyk, DrPH4 (Author affiliations at end of text).

Jon B. Cole, MD1,2, William G. Heegaard, MD2, Jonathan R.

Mary Puckett, PhD1,2, Antonio Neri, MD2, Trevor Thompson2, J. Michael Underwood, PhD2, Behnoosh Momin, MS, MPH2, Jennifer Kahende, PhD3, Lei Zhang, PhD3, Sherri L. Stewart, PhD2 (Author affiliations at end of text).

CDC works 24/7 saving lives, protecting people from health threats, and saving money to have a more secure nation. A US federal agency, CDC helps make the healthy choice the easy choice by putting science and prevention into action. CDC works to help people live longer, healthier and more productive lives.

Approximately 32% of US children are overweight or obese. Restaurant and fast food meals contribute 18% of daily calories for children and adolescents aged 2 to 18 years. Changing children’s menus may improve their diets. This case study describes Best Food for Families, Infants, and Toddlers (Best Food FITS), a community-based intervention designed to address childhood obesity. The objective of this study was to improve San Marcos children’s access to healthy diets through partnerships with local restaurants, removing sugar-sweetened beverages, decreasing the number of energy-dense entrées, and increasing fruit and vegetable offerings on restaurant menus.

African American women in the Deep South of the United States are disproportionately obese, a condition strongly influenced by their social environment. The objective of this study was to characterize the prevalence of social support from family and friends for healthy eating and exercise in rural communities.