The three statewide surveys of diet and physical activity practices among adults, teens, and children are important tools in gauging Californian's progress toward meeting the Healthy People 2010 objectives and recommendations from the California Daily Food Guide and provide vital information to guide the development of Network for a Healthy California activities and programs.
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Research Briefs from the Statewide Surveys 
Keihner AJ, Linares AM, Rider CD, Sugerman S, Mitchell PR, Hudes, M. Education, Diet and Environmental Factors Influence Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption Among California Children, Teens, and Adults. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Public Health; 2012. (PDF) 
In California, approximately half of children, teens, and adults drink at least one serving of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) daily. This brief highlights the associations between SSB intake and demographic and socioeconomic factors; consumption of healthy and less healthy foods; health behaviors; psychosocial factors; and the home, work, and school environments. The California Department of Public Health’s Network for a Healthy California, in partnership with the Public Health Institute and other organizations and in conjunction with the California Obesity Prevention Plan, supports the prioritization of public health efforts that aim to promote good nutrition, physically active lifestyles, and a healthy weight among low-income California families.
California Dietary Practices Surveys (CDPS)
The California Dietary Practices Survey (CDPS) is the most extensive dietary and physical activity assessment of adults 18 years and older in the state of California. CDPS began in 1989, and is administered biennially in odd years. This survey was created and is analyzed by the Network for a Healthy California (Network), part of the California Department of Public Health. CDPS was designed to monitor dietary trends, especially fruit and vegetable consumption, among California adults for evaluating their progress toward meeting the 2000 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the Healthy People 2010 objectives, and the California Daily Food Guide recommendations.
For more information regarding CDPS, please contact Amanda Linares, at Amanda.Linares@cdph.ca.gov.
Background on CDPS (PDF)
2009 CDPS Demographics Table (PDF)
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California Teen Eating, Exercise and Nutrition Survey (CalTEENS)
The California Teen Eating, Exercise and Nutrition Survey (CalTEENS) data tables provide detailed information about California adolescent eating and physical activity behaviors. The CalTEENS covers dietary intake and practices, physical and sedentary activity, factors that influence these behaviors including out-of-home eating, social norms, school environment, weight status, weight loss practices, as well as knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs associated with eating and exercise.
For more information regarding the CalTEENS, contact Carolyn Rider at carolyn.rider@cdph.ca.gov.
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California Children's Healthy Eating and Exercise Practices Survey (CalCHEEPS)
CalCHEEPS is the most comprehensive survey of dietary intake and activity for children in the state. It also captures vital information about factors influencing these behaviors. The survey was developed to fill a gap in the nutrition surveillance of California children, 9-11 years of age. Prior to 1999, there were no statewide population-based representative surveys of diet and physical activity for children in the upper elementary school grades. This resulted in a lack of information to guide the development and refinement of statewide nutrition education programs and resources, particularly the Network for a Healthy California (Network) — Children’s Power Play! Campaign and Harvest of the Month.
CalCHEEPS was developed in 1998, commenced in 1999, and continues to be administered biennially in odd years. It is designed to gain a better understanding of California children’s dietary intake (especially fruit and vegetable consumption) and practices, physical and sedentary activity, knowledge and awareness of the Children’s Power Play! Campaign, and factors that influence these behaviors including out-of-home eating, social norms, school and home environments, poverty, weight status as well as knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about diet and exercise. Investigating and compiling results and tracking trends among children eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program) are the primary focuses of this project.
Surveillance is conducted using a demographically balanced market research panel of households with 9- to 11-year-old children. It includes a self-administered, parent-assisted mail survey and a follow-up telephone interview with a subset of the mail survey respondents. The mail survey consists of a two-day food and activity diary. The telephone interviews are used to collect children’s unassisted knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. Approximately 700 children throughout California return the diary and about 400 complete the interview. The data are weighted to reflect the most recent Current Population Survey of California.
CalCHEEPS is a statewide surveillance project of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) directed by the Network. It is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture’s SNAP, CDPH, The California Endowment, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture; and administered through the Public Health Institute.
For more information regarding the CalCHEEPS, contact Angie Jo Keihner, MS, at Angie.Keihner@cdph.ca.gov.
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Web content last updated: January 2012