Research & Publications | Healthy Eating Research

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Community Engaged Research Strategies Used in Food Retail Interventions: A Scoping Review

The purpose of this scoping review is to identify what community engagement (CE) research approaches have been applied by researchers in the retail food environment (RFE) intervention literature and how they vary by type of retail settings, phase of intervention, year of intervention, and key domains of equity. A total of 98 RFE interventions reported More

Date: June 2025

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Food Retail

Changes in SNAP Participation and Food Expenditures for Households with Children During the Pandemic

The purposes of this research were to explore the characteristics of households with children that joined SNAP after substantial changes were made to the program in the early stages of the pandemic and to learn how the changes affected food purchases. The research team used household-based scanner data to assess demographic characteristics and food purchase More

Date: June 2025

Resource Type: Research Brief

Focus Areas: Nutrition Policy & Programs

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

Date: February 2025

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Early Childhood Nutrition Policy & Programs

Simulated retail food environments: A literature review of systems science approaches to advance equity in access to healthy diets

As researchers increasingly utilize systems science simulation modeling (SSSM), little is known about how and by whom SSSMs are being leveraged to address inequities in access to healthy diets. We evaluated the extent to which studies (n = 66) employing SSSM to examine retail food environments (RFEs): included three pillars of equity (social position, human capital, socioeconomic More

Keywords: Grocery store

Date: January 2025

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Food Retail

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

Date: January 2025

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Early Childhood Nutrition Policy & Programs

Opportunities to Improve Summer EBT: Perspectives from state SNAP agencies

Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), or SUN Bucks, is a new federal program that provides grocery benefits to low-income families with children during the summer months, when children no longer have access to free or reduced-price meals at school. However, 13 states did not opt into the program when it launched in 2024. To understand More

Date: December 2024

Resource Type: Report

Focus Areas: Nutrition Policy & Programs

Experiences with COVID-19 economic relief measures among low-wage worker families: a qualitative study

This study aimed to understand experiences with COVID-19 economic relief measures among low-wage worker households with children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews from low-wage workers in households with children in two U.S. cities in 2022 (n = 40). The sample was recruited from a larger study which included survey measures More

Date: November 2024

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Nutrition Policy & Programs Pricing & Economics

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

Date: November 2024

Resource Type: Grant Summary

Focus Areas: Nutrition Policy & Programs

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

Date: November 2024

Resource Type: Grant Summary

Focus Areas: Nutrition Policy & Programs

Identifying policy, system, and environment approaches to promoting safe and dignified healthy food access at urban grocery stores

Urban grocery stores are facing operational challenges due to crime and are instituting crime mitigation strategies. These strategies may have unintended consequences that limit healthy food access among families with children and create threats to social dignity. This community-driven study aims to: 1) quantify modifiable community characteristics associated with crime at grocery stores; 2) examine More

Date: November 2024

Resource Type: Grant Summary

Focus Areas: Food Retail