Age Group: Adults and Families

SNAP to Health: Recommendations to Improve Nutrition in the Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

By

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest federal food assistance program in the United States. In April 2012, a record 46.2 million people—approximately 15% of the U.S. population—were enrolled in SNAP. Nearly 50 percent of SNAP beneficiaries are children. Given the significant reach SNAP has among the lower-income populations most vulnerable to food More

Analysis of Relationship Between Brand Advertising and Most Loved Brands by Kids

By

According to a 2008 Federal Trade Commission report, overall expenditures to promote foods and beverages to children and adolescents in the United States were more than $1.6 billion annually. Studies indicate that exposure to food advertising influences children’s attitudes, preferences, and food purchase requests toward foods with low nutritional value. It is therefore important for More

Child and Adolescent Fast-Food Choice and the Influence of Calorie Labeling: A Natural Experiment

By

This article examines children’s and adolescents’ fast-food choices and the influence of calorie labels on adolescent and parent food choice in lower-income communities in New York City (NYC) and Newark, New Jersey (comparison city) before and after mandatory menu labeling began in NYC. Researchers found no statistically significant differences in calories purchased before and after More

Healthy Food Purchasing Among African American Youth: Associations with Child Gender, Adult Caregiver Characteristics and the Home Food Environment

By

This article discusses how the home food environment and caregiver and youth characteristics are associated with healthy food purchasing among lower-income African-American youth. Researchers found that intentions to eat healthier, caregivers’ attitude towards healthy eating and more frequent food preparation by family members were each significantly associated with higher frequency of purchasing healthy foods among More

Understanding the Rural Food Environment–Perspectives of Low-Income Parents

By

This article focuses on the food environment and food shopping habits of lower-income residents in rural Maine. Focus groups were conducted with lower-income parents of children enrolled in Medicaid/State Children’s Health Insurance Program in Maine to ask them about their food shopping habits, the barriers they faced when trying to obtain food, places where they More

Exploring Ways to Strengthen the Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to Improve Nutrition for Low-Income Children

By

The objective of this research is to conduct a comprehensive survey of stakeholder groups to identify barriers and opportunities for improving nutrition in the Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The survey will be designed with input from key informant interviews and distributed to over 500 key stakeholders involved with SNAP and other food assistance More

Examining Consumers’ Understanding of Front-of-Package Nutrition Information Systems

By

In May 2010 the White House Childhood Obesity Task Force identified the need to improve front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labels to help consumers when making purchasing decisions. Multiple competing industry-initiated labeling systems currently appear on packaged foods in the United States. This research team proposed a randomized-controlled trial to test consumers’ understanding of  several different types More

Food Insecurity and Weight Status Among U.S. Children and Families: A Review of the Literature

By

Food insecurity disproportionately affects U.S. demographic groups of children and adults at greatest risk for obesity and may lead to weight gain through various pathways. This article presents a comprehensive summary of the current literature on the relationship between food insecurity and weight status, and the role federal food and nutrition assistance programs may play More

Poverty, Food Insecurity, and Obesity: A Conceptual Framework for Research, Practice, and Policy

By

Recent trends in food insecurity in the United States parallel population increases in obesity. Historically, food insecurity and obesity have been viewed as distinct public health issues. However, since the mid-1990s, there has been growing interest in understanding the seemingly paradoxical relationship between these two issues. In this paper, the authors summarize findings from research More

Consumer Awareness of Fast-Food Calorie Information in New York City After Implementation of a Menu Labeling Regulation

By

This article examines consumer awareness of calorie information at fast-food restaurant chains in New York City after the introduction of calorie labeling on menus and menu boards. Researchers found that awareness of calorie information increased from pre-enforcement to post-enforcement of the calorie labeling regulation (25% to 64%). Among customers who saw calorie information post-enforcement, 27% More