Mapping School Food: A Policy Guide

School food environments are complex, particularly because they must function within a plethora of state, federal and local regulations. Individuals who work in this system-food service directors, superintendents, or others involved school food policy-are often left to their own devices to navigate the complex interplay of laws. In this study, legal researchers guide advocates in More

Evaluating the Impact of Two School Nutrition Policy and Environmental Interventions on Low-Income Middle-School Students in Michigan

The primary goal of this project is to evaluate the impact of two interventions on improved nutrition behaviors among low-income students. These on-going interventions have been initiated by key stakeholder groups in response to current school nutrition/wellness legislation. In the first intervention, low-income middle schools will receive access to comprehensive online tools, mentoring assistance, and More

Analyzing Legal Factors Influencing the Food Environment in Extracurricular and Other School-Related Settings Outside School Administration Control

Extracurricular school settings are an essential part of the school food environment but are often outside direct school regulation or are poorly enforced. Using legal analyses, this project will produce three issues briefs on (i) school stores, events, and concessions; (ii) fundraising; and (iii) open campus policies. These briefs will provide an overview of each More

Developing a Computer Model of School Food Policies That Will Simulate Their Effects on Youth Overweight and Obesity Rates

The key objective of this project is to develop a computer simulation model of school food policies that will simulate their effects on youth overweight and obesity rates. This computer model also will provide a user-friendly synthesis of current research, which will provide an accessible means by which practitioners, schools, and other stakeholders might develop More

Examining the Role of Street Vendors in the After School Eating Environment Among Elementary and Middle School Children in Low-Income Neighborhoods

The proposed study will increase knowledge about the role of street vendors in the after-school eating environment among elementary and middle school children in low-income neighborhoods. The overall aim is to examine whether mobile vendors are a feasible vehicle for the sales of fresh fruits, vegetables and healthy snacks, and to evaluate a community-based quasi-experimental More

Evaluating the Efficacy of a Healthy Corner Store Initiative in Reducing Childhood Obesity

This project will evaluate the efficacy of a community-based, environmental intervention in urban corner stores located near schools. By targeting multiple aspects of the corner store environment (e.g., social, educational, food availability), the goal of this intervention is to decrease the purchase of high calorie snacks and beverages and increase the percentage of healthy snacks More

Assessing the Impact of School Vending Machine Policies on Rural Adolescent Beverage Consumption

The goal of this study is to analyze the impact of school vending machine policies on adolescent beverage consumption in predominantly rural high schools across New Hampshire and Vermont. Using data from an ongoing study, this project will specifically seek to compare school beverage vending machine guidelines, restrictions, implementation, and content; and to evaluate the More

Reducing the Risk of Obesity for African-American Youth by Developing a Program to Improve the Food Environment in Baltimore

This project will evaluate an innovative intervention to change the food environment to reduce obesity risk among low-income urban African American children. Specifically, it will (a) develop, implement and evaluate a program that creates healthy eating zones around selected city schools that will increase the availability of healthy food options and promote them at the More

Studying Spatial Associations Between the Density of Schools and the Density of Fast Food Outlets

The overall objectives of this project are to study inequality in New York City’s food environment, and more specifically, the distribution of fast food restaurants. Specifically, this project will study spatial associations between school density and fast food density, investigate environmental determinants of fast food density, and explore the circumstances in which fast food restaurateurs More

School Foods Sold Outside of Meals. A Research Brief

Schools that provide federally reimbursed meal programs must meet federal nutrition standards. But snacks and drinks sold outside of these programs—so-called competitive foods—do not have to meet these requirements. This brief examines the availability of competitive foods, their nutritional content, their impact on students’ food consumption and policies for improving the school food environment.