Despite expert recommendations, most toddlers consume sugary drinks and more sweet and salty snack foods than fruits and vegetables as snacks. Studies have examined toddler caregivers’ reasons for providing sugary drinks, but few have examined the reasons for providing nutritionally poor snack foods. Researchers conducted focus groups in one low-income community to assess caregivers’ familiarity, More
Keywords: Fruits and vegetables, Home, Sugar-sweetened beverages
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Cash Value Benefit (CVB) for fruits and vegetables increased by roughly USD 25/month/person. We sought to understand WIC participant perceptions of this change and barriers and facilitators to using the CVB. We conducted 10 virtual focus groups (5 rural, 5 More
Dietary recommendations are available about what to feed children ages 2 to 8 for optimal health, but relatively little guidance exists about how to feed those children. Because of the discrepancy between young children’s recommended and actual dietary intakes, there is a clear need for such guidance. To address this gap, Healthy Eating Research convened More
Keywords: Child Care/Preschool, Fruits and vegetables, Home, Self-regulation, Snacks
Date: October 2021
Resource Type: Expert Panel Report
Focus Areas: Diet Quality & Healthy Weight Early Childhood
The Appalachian region of the U.S. is disproportionately impacted by poverty, obesity, and nutrition-related chronic diseases. Evidence suggests that caregiver feeding practices may promote healthful eating behaviors among children; however, this has not been examined in low-income, rural, Appalachian populations. This study examines caregiver feeding practices as predictors for child diet in low-income Appalachian families, More
Keywords: Fruits and vegetables, Home, Rural
Date: August 2021
Resource Type: Journal Article
Focus Areas: Diet Quality & Healthy Weight Early Childhood
To address food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, utilization of the USDA child nutrition summer feeding programs has drastically increased. Given the unprecedented use of the summer feeding programs, this research brief will (1) explain the meal pattern requirements and select operational differences between the summer feeding programs and the federal meal programs typically utilized More
Date: May 2021
Resource Type: Research Brief
Focus Areas: Nutrition Policy & Programs School & After School
Healthy Eating Research (HER), Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and The Food Trust have developed the first national research agenda focused on healthy food retail. The research agenda is the result of a multi-step process, including commissioned research and a Healthy Retail Research convening, which More
Keywords: Corner store, Digital marketing, Food advertising, Food insecurity, Food outlet, Food systems, Front-of-package labeling, Fruits and vegetables, Grocery store, Home, In-store marketing, Neighborhood, Restaurant, Rural, Supermarket, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Urban, Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
Date: November 2020
Resource Type: Report Special Journal Issue
Focus Areas: Food Access Food Retail
The USDA Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides critical nutrition assistance to lower-income women, infants, and young children. During the coronavirus pandemic, unemployment has risen to levels greater than experienced during the Great Recession, and food insecurity has also increased, making WIC’s role more important than ever. This research brief More
Date: July 2020
Resource Type: Research Brief
Focus Areas: Early Childhood Nutrition Policy & Programs
To inform programs and policies that promote health equity, it is essential to monitor the distribution of nutritional problems among young individuals. Common nutritional problems include overall low diet quality, the underconsumption and overconsumption of certain dietary components, unhealthy meal and snack patterns, problematic feeding practices and disordered eating. The objective of the present narrative More
Keywords: Body mass index (BMI), Fruits and vegetables, Rural, Urban
More than 21.8 million school-age children receive free or reduced-price school lunch and 12.6 million children receive free or reduced-price breakfast each day. Since updated nutrition standards for school meals, snack foods, and beverages have been implemented following passage of the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, a growing body of evidence shows their effectiveness in More
Date: March 2020
Resource Type: Report
Focus Areas: Nutrition Policy & Programs School & After School
More than 21.8 million school-age children receive free or reduced-price school lunch and 12.6 million children receive free or reduced-price breakfast each day. Since updated nutrition standards for school meals, snack foods, and beverages have been implemented following passage of the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, a growing body of evidence shows their effectiveness in More
Date: March 2020
Resource Type: Research Summary
Focus Areas: Nutrition Policy & Programs School & After School