Examining the Effects of In-Store Marketing on the Purchase of Excess, Non-Nutrient Calories and on Childhood Obesity

The impact of family food purchasing on child obesity is understudied, and little is known about the roles that consumer shopping behavior and local prices for goods with different nutritional content play in determining obesity prevalence. This project will use unique, nationally-representative scanned UPC data collected by Nielsen over a 12-year period on consumer grocery More

Using New Eye-Tracking Technologies to Assess the Effects of Varied Nutrition Labels on the Selection and Purchase of Healthful Foods

This study assesses front-of-package nutrition labeling using novel technology (eye tracking) in a population at risk for obesity (urban, lower-income, racial and ethnic minority). Eye tracking allows objective comparison of use of monochromatic Nutrition Keys labels (soon to be added to food packages by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, but currently unevaluated) and color-coded traffic light More

Encouraging Consumption of Water in School and Child Care Settings: Access, Challenges, and Strategies for Improvement

Children and adolescents are not consuming enough water. Since children spend most of their day in school and child care settings, ensuring that safe, potable water is available in these settings is essential. This article identifies challenges that limit access to drinking water, including deteriorating drinking water infrastructure, limited drinking water availability, insufficient federal meal More

Demographic and Financial Characteristics of School Districts with Low and High A La Carte Sales in Rural Kansas Public Schools

This paper examines how Kansas school districts with low à la carte sales differ from districts with moderate to high à la carte sales on important demographic and financial characteristics. A la carte sales are foods and beverages sold outside the federal reimbursable school meals program. Researchers found that in rural districts with low à More

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

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

SNAP to Health: Analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) to Assess the Nutrition of Youth, Ages 4-19, Participating in SNAP

Given the significant reach and service the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food assistance program has for lower-income populations most vulnerable to food insecurity and poor nutrition, there is an urgent need to obtain data about the nutrition of children who participate in SNAP to determine what foods are being consumed. This analysis was designed More

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

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