Bridging the Gap: Research Informing Practice and Policy for Healthy Youth Behavior was designed to improve the understanding of the role of public policy and environmental factors in youth alcohol, illicit drug, and tobacco use, as well as diet and physical activity, to evaluate their effectiveness in reducing substance use and obesity among youth. The research program was intended to close gaps in understanding the most important policy, environmental, and programmatic strategies for reducing youth substance.

California Project LEAN (Leaders Encouraging Activity and Nutrition) (CPL) is a joint program of the California Department of Public Health and the Public Health Institute focusing on youth empowerment, policy and environmental change strategies, and community-based solutions. CPL's mission is to increase healthy eating and physical activity to reduce the prevalence of obesity and chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, osteoporosis, and diabetes.

CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) is an evidence-based, coordinated school health program designed to promote physical activity and healthy food choices, and prevent tobacco use in children from preschool through grade 8. The program is currently being implemented in over 7,500 schools and after-school programs across the United States and Canada.

A coordinated school health program (CSHP) model consists of eight interactive components. Schools by themselves cannot - and should not - be expected to solve the nation's most serious health and social problems. Families, health care workers, the media, religious organizations, community organizations that serve youth, and young people themselves also must be systematically involved. However, schools could provide a critical facility in which many agencies might work together to maintain the well-being of young people.

EPEC is an award-winning chronic disease (obesity) prevention program for grades K-12 that is aligned to the NASPE standards for physical education. An easy-to-use, true curriculum that is strong on assessment, EPEC promotes life-long skills in students and is already being used by thousands of teachers to strengthen both the practice as well as the perception of physical education in their schools.