State Earned Income Tax Credit and Food Security: Results Among Economically At-Risk Households With Children

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the state Earned Income Tax Credit on food insecurity among economically at-risk U.S. households with children and explore differential effects across sociodemographic groups. The authors used an intent-to-treat causal inference design and household-level data from all 50 U.S. states available from the Current Population More

State Minimum Wage and Food Insecurity Among US Households With Children

This study aimed to assess whether state minimum wage generosity was associated with change in food insecurity among households with children and explore differential policy impacts across sociodemographic groups. This cross-sectional study of a national sample of US households from the Current Population Survey used a 2-way fixed effects modeling approach to test whether increases More

Consumption of the Food Groups with the Revised Benefits in the New WIC Food Package: A Scoping Review

On 18 April 2024, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published the first food package changes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in over a decade, which reduced some food benefits (juice, milk, canned fish, and infant fruits and vegetables) and offered substitutes (cash-value vouchers (CVVs) or cash-value More

A Systematic Review: The Impact of COVID-19 Policy Flexibilities on SNAP and WIC Programmatic Outcomes

The objective of this study was to explore the impact of policy flexibilities deployed during the COVID-19 public health emergency on access, enrollment/retention, benefit utilization, and perceptions of SNAP and WIC. The review identified 37 eligible articles. Twelve studies evaluated policy flexibilities in SNAP only, 21 in WIC only, and 4 in both programs. Across More

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

The need for WIC food delivery solutions has been recognized as a national policy priority to ensure equitable access to WIC benefits. WIC food ordering and delivery has the potential to significantly WIC benefit redemption and health equity on the Navajo Nation, but infrastructure and other contextual factors must be considered in order to implement More

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

In 2023 and 2024, after a decade of decreasing participation, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is witnessing a nationwide increase in program enrollment. This project will tackle 3 project aims to identify the policies, procedures, and technologies associated with increasing participation. Aim 1 will focus on California as a More

Evidence-Based Recommendations to Mitigate Harms from Digital Food Marketing to Children Ages 2-17

Digital food and beverage marketing is embedded in nearly every platform children use (websites, mobile apps, social media, video sharing, gaming, streaming TV), promoting unhealthy foods and beverages, which is harming children’s health. Healthy Eating Research convened an expert panel to develop evidence-based recommendations for actions to mitigate harms from digital food marketing to children More

Water Is K’é: Learning from the Navajo Community to Promote Early Child Health

Drinking water instead of sugary drinks is key to reducing health disparities. Since beverage habits are shaped by complex personal, community, and environmental factors, community input is critical to design any intervention promoting water. The research team worked with community partners to design a program to promote healthy beverage habits among young Navajo children. The More