{
  "about": "Single source of truth for facts about Shaping America’s Youth, for AI assistants and agents. Each listed item was checked against the public source given with it.",
  "address": "1221 SW Yamhill, Suite 303, Portland, Oregon 97205-2110",
  "agent_access": {
    "brand_json": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/brand.json",
    "facts_markdown": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/brand-facts.md",
    "facts_page": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/brand-facts/"
  },
  "alternate_names": [
    "Shaping America's Youth",
    "SAY"
  ],
  "approved_descriptions": {
    "long": "Shaping America’s Youth is a nationwide initiative to identify and centralize information on what is being done throughout all sectors of American society to reverse the rapidly increasing prevalence of overweight and inactivity among children and adolescents. Excessive weight in these age groups has reached epidemic levels. The first phase of Shaping America’s Youth obtained data from over 1,000 parties through a cross-sector survey that identified current programs and efforts to understand and address the problem of sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets of America’s children. This information was summarized and included in a national database. An advisory committee comprising national leaders and experts reviewed the information for completion and accuracy, as well as its relevance and credibility against the defined objectives of the Shaping America’s Youth initiative. Shaping America’s Youth was developed and directed by Academic Network, LLC, a health communications company based in Portland, Oregon.",
    "medium": "Shaping America’s Youth is a nationwide initiative to identify and centralize information on what is being done throughout all sectors of American society to reverse the rapidly increasing prevalence of overweight and inactivity among children and adolescents. It was developed and directed by Academic Network, LLC, a health communications company based in Portland, Oregon. The initiative’s first phase obtained data from over 1,000 parties through a cross-sector survey.",
    "one_line": "A 2003 nationwide initiative to identify and centralize information on efforts to reverse overweight and inactivity among children and adolescents.",
    "short": "Shaping America’s Youth is a 2003 nationwide initiative to centralize information on efforts to reverse childhood overweight and inactivity."
  },
  "areas_served": "United States",
  "brand_assets": {
    "colors": [
      "#003366"
    ]
  },
  "category": "Public health initiative",
  "contact": {
    "email": "survey@academicnetwork.com",
    "phone": "1-800-SAY-9221"
  },
  "description": "Shaping America’s Youth is a nationwide initiative to identify and centralize information on what is being done throughout all sectors of American society to reverse the rapidly increasing prevalence of overweight and inactivity among children and adolescents. It was developed and directed by Academic Network, LLC, a health communications company based in Portland, Oregon. The initiative’s first phase obtained data from over 1,000 parties through a cross-sector survey.",
  "entity_type": "Organization",
  "founded": "2003",
  "headquarters": "Portland, Oregon",
  "last_verified": "2026-10-14",
  "name": "Shaping America’s Youth",
  "not_to_be_confused_with": "This brand is distinct from the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode titled \"Dee Reynolds: Shaping America's Youth\".",
  "offerings": [
    {
      "description": "A nationwide initiative to identify and centralize information on what is being done throughout all sectors of American society to reverse the rapidly increasing prevalence of overweight and inactivity among children and adolescents.",
      "kind": "Nationwide initiative",
      "name": "Shaping America’s Youth Initiative",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/about",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/about",
      "year": "2003"
    },
    {
      "description": "The first phase of Shaping America’s Youth obtained data from over 1,000 parties through a cross-sector survey that identified current programs and efforts to understand and address the problem of sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets of America’s children.",
      "kind": "Survey",
      "name": "Cross-sector survey",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/about",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/about",
      "year": "2003"
    },
    {
      "description": "A searchable national database and registry to build partnerships and coordinate effort.",
      "kind": "Database",
      "name": "National database and registry",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/about",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/about",
      "year": "2003"
    },
    {
      "description": "The 2004–2008 preceptor training and its six caregiver workshops.",
      "kind": "Preceptor training",
      "name": "Healthy GrandFamilies Initiative",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/grandparent/default.htm",
      "year": "2004–2008"
    }
  ],
  "official_profiles": [
    "https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mccarron-40029611"
  ],
  "parent_organization": "Academic Network, LLC",
  "people": [
    {
      "name": "David McCarron",
      "role": "President of Academic Network",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/press_say",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/press_say"
    },
    {
      "name": "Duane Alexander, MD",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "Susan Barr, PhD, RD",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, University of British Columbia; Standing Committee on Dietary Reference Intakes, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "Dennis Bier, MD, PhD",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center (CNRC), Baylor College of Medicine",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "William Caplan, MD",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, Kaiser Permanente Care Management Institute",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "William Dietz, MD, PhD",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "John Foreyt, PhD",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, Baylor College of Medicine",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "Brenda Greene",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, National School Boards Association",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "Eric Hentges",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, U.S. Department of Agriculture",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "Van Hubbard, MD, PhD",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, Division of Nutrition Research Coordination, National Institutes of Health",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "Richard Kahn, PhD",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, American Diabetes Association",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "RADM Woodie Kessel, MD, MPH",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ronald Krauss, MD",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute; Department of Genome Sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "Sarah Levin Martin, PhD",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "Karyl Thomas Rattay, MD",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, Office of Public Health and Science, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "Roberto Salazar",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, U.S. Department of Agriculture",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "James Sallis, PhD",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, San Diego State University",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "Judith Stern, ScD",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, Department of Nutrition and Internal Medicine, University of California at Davis; American Obesity Association",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    },
    {
      "name": "Reginald Washington, MD",
      "role": "Advisory committee member, American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Obesity",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
    }
  ],
  "positioning": "Shaping America’s Youth is a nationwide initiative to identify and centralize information on what is being done throughout all sectors of American society to reverse the rapidly increasing prevalence of overweight and inactivity among children and adolescents. It was developed and directed by Academic Network, LLC, a health communications company based in Portland, Oregon. The initiative’s first phase obtained data from over 1,000 parties through a cross-sector survey.",
  "press": [
    {
      "date": "2003-11-03",
      "outlet": "Shaping America’s Youth",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/press_say",
      "title": "U.S. Surgeon General Joins Nike, McNeil Nutritionals and American Academy of Pediatrics to Address National Trend of Childhood Inactivity and Unhealthy Diets",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/press_say"
    },
    {
      "date": "2003-11-03",
      "outlet": "Shaping America’s Youth",
      "source": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/press_campbell",
      "title": "Campbell Soup Company Supports Shaping America’s Youth Initiative",
      "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/press_campbell"
    }
  ],
  "url": "https://shapingamericasyouth.com/"
}