Healthy Eating Research is proud to announce the funding of 7 new research teams funded through our 2024 call for proposals. These studies focus on a range of policies and programs and their potential to improve nutrition and health among children and families.

We look forward to working with these teams and sharing the results of their projects.

Identifying factors contributing to increased Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children participation

Heluna Health, PI: Catherine Yepez, MPH; Co-PI: Shannon Whaley, PhD

In 2023 and 2024, after a decade-long decline, WIC has seen a nationwide increase in enrollment. This project aims to identify the policies, procedures, and technologies associated with increasing participation in California and disseminate findings to inform WIC research and policy communities across the country.

Updating and synchronizing national measures of school wellness policies and practices

University of Connecticut, PI: Marlene Schwartz, PhD

Schools play a critical role in supporting student health, guided by the USDA and CDC’s latest evidence-based strategies. This project aims to update and synchronize two measures: the Wellness School Assessment Tool (WellSAT) for evaluating district wellness policies and the CDC’s School Health Index (SHI) for school-based practices. This project will create coordinated measures reflecting the Whole School, Whole Child, Whole Community (WSCC) framework.

Testing online ordering and delivery of Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children foods to rural Indigenous communities

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, PI: Susan Gross, PhD

Equitable access to WIC benefits through food delivery solutions is a national priority. This project will plan and pilot a WIC food ordering and delivery system in one Navajo Nation community, assessing its acceptability, operability, sustainability, and impact on benefit redemption.

Pilot-testing a peer navigator intervention for the Child and Adult Care Food Program to bridge a gap in nutrition supports in family childcare

Regents of the University of California, PI: Lorrene Ritchie, PhD, MS, RD

CACFP has the potential to improve food security, diet quality, and financial stability for low-income families, but participation among Family Child Care Homes (FCCHs) in California is limited due to administrative burdens. This project aims to develop and pilot a peer navigator intervention, co-designed with CACFP stakeholders, to increase FCCH claiming and retention and bridge access disparities with newly enrolled providers.

Examining implementation of universal free school meals in Colorado and the effects on students at highest risk for food and nutrition insecurity

Child Trends, Incorporated, PI: Bonnie Solomon, PhD

Universal free school meals (UFSMs) can reduce disparities in food and nutrition security by addressing barriers to accessing nutritious food. This project aims to examine UFSM implementation in Colorado, identify strategies that reduce participation barriers, assess the benefits for economically disadvantaged students, and explore perceptions of UFSMs among state, district, and local stakeholders.

Understanding how changes to the Community Eligibility Provision’s threshold impacts school meals

Urban Institute, PI: Emily Gutierrez, PhD, MS

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) eligibility expansion intends to benefit more students, though some eligible districts avoid applying for CEP due to potential fiscal challenges, such as meal costs and loss of state aid. This study aims to analyze the characteristics of schools and districts that choose to adopt CEP and then discontinue, or never adopt at all, and determine which students are most affected by the lack of CEP adoption.

Identifying policy, system, and environment approaches to promoting safe and dignified healthy food access at urban grocery stores

The George Washington University, PI: Gabby Headrick, PhD, MSPH, RDN

Urban grocery stores face operational challenges due to crime, leading to mitigation strategies that may unintentionally restrict healthy food access and threaten social dignity among families with children. This community-driven study aims to quantify community characteristics linked to grocery store crime, examine how crime mitigation impacts families’ dignified access to healthy food, and explore grocery store operators’ perspectives on crime and its mitigation strategies.