Applying the Systematic Screening and Assessment Method to childhood obesity prevention

The authors describe application of the Systematic Screening and Assessment (SSA) Method to an initiative called the Early Assessment of Programs and Policies to Prevent Childhood Obesity. Over a 2‐year period, a national network of practitioners, policy makers, and funders nominated programs and policies across five substantive areas: school district local wellness policies, school‐based comprehensive physical activity programs, day care and after‐school programs, access to healthy foods in low‐income communities, and changes in the built environment to promote physical activity. The role of an expert panel in selecting innovations for evaluability assessment on the basis of the likelihood for a positive health impact is described.