Examining Marketing Approaches to Increasing Sales of Healthy Kids’ Menu Items in Quick-Service Restaurants

Through cooperation between the food service industry and public health, this project aims to improve nutritional quality of kids’ menus in fast food restaurants. This study will examine pooled sales data from 10 Taco Time restaurants showing items sold from the kids’ menu over three exposure periods: a 6-month baseline, a 3-month period following introduction More

Testing Modifications in Child-Care Settings to Promote Nutritional Quality in the Context of Food Insecurity

The combination of obesity amidst food insecurity presents unique challenges to improving nutrition and feeding policies in institutions serving children. The aim of this study is to evaluate child care nutrition and feeding policies designed to decrease excess caloric consumption in the context of food insecurity and obesity. In this project, three intervention strategies will More

Assessing Recommendations From a Study on Improving Nutrition in Licensed Child-Care Centers in California

Approximately 50% of preschool-aged children in California are enrolled in licensed child-care settings, primarily in day care centers. These children consume a significant portion of their daily nutrition in child-care centers. Previous research has indicated that centers participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) served healthier foods than those not participating in More

Examining the Influence of Mobile Food Vendors on Food and Beverage Choices of Low-Income Mexican-American Children in Texas Colonias

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among Mexican-American children is exceedingly high. Understanding the role of mobile food vendors in low-income, limited-resource Mexican-American colonia neighborhoods is critical. With the involvement of community partners and building on prior food environment projects within the colonias, the aim of this study is to assess the neighborhood and household More

Studying the Effect of Beverage Taxes on Children’s Energy Intake and Tax Revenue

Health advocates have increasingly argued for taxes on calorically sweetened beverages. However, there is little empirical research that evaluates the public health and fiscal impacts of such taxes while simultaneously accounting for consumers’ and suppliers’ likely changes in economic behavior in response to a targeted tax. The aim of this study is to use econometric More

Examining How Increases in Earned Income Tax Credits, Food Prices and Neighborhood Context Affect Children’s BMI

The goal of this project is to examine how increases in family income generated by geographic- and time-varying changes in earned income tax credits (EITC) impact children’s body mass index, and how this effect may depend on their neighborhood food environment and regional food prices. Focusing on EITC-generated income changes amounts to a quasi-experimental research More