Research & Publications | Healthy Eating Research

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Can the Electronic Health Record Increase WIC Referrals & Improve Care Coordination for Medicaid or Uninsured Children Under Age 5? A Mixed Methods Study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a novel Electronic Health Record (EHR)-based WIC referral and care coordination program. Specifically, this program refers children to WIC and provides a secure data connection for communication between health care providers and WIC team members. The specific aims are to: 1) Better understand the WIC referral gap More

Date: October 2021

Resource Type: Commissioned Research Project Summary

Focus Areas: Nutrition Policy & Programs

Identifying geographic differences in children’s sugar‐sweetened beverage and 100% fruit juice intake using health system data

This study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of using health system data to examine the geographic distribution of sugar‐sweetened beverage intake and evaluate neighborhood characteristics associated with intake. Researchers extracted electronic health record data from a sugar‐sweetened beverage and 100% fruit juice screener used for children ages 1 to 17 years in eight pediatric practices in North More

Date: October 2020

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Beverages

Improving the actionable research base for health equity in breastfeeding by assessing an intervention to increase rates in minority populations

Breastfeeding equity is a critical component of nutrition-related equity. Breastfeeding rates in the United States are strongly correlated with poverty and race. Communities and Hospitals Advancing Maternity Practices (CHAMPS) is a multi-sectoral, policy, system, and environmental initiative which has significantly increased breastfeeding rates among black populations. CHAMPS was launched in Mississippi (MS) in 2014. Since More

Date: February 2020

Resource Type: Grant Summary

Focus Areas: Diet Quality & Healthy Weight Early Childhood

Conducting a health-care-technology-based intervention to reduce sugary-beverage consumption for diverse populations of children

The healthcare sector is a promising venue for systems interventions to reduce children’s sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, but clinical staff lack the time for high-intensity in-person interventions. We propose to develop and pilot a parent-informed, technology-enabled healthcare system-based intervention. The goals of the intervention are to: reduce SSB consumption, promote guideline-appropriate levels of fruit juice More

Date: February 2020

Resource Type: Grant Summary

Focus Areas: Beverages

Use of Electronic Health Record Data to Study the Association of Sugary Drink Consumption With Child Weight Status

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and, to some extent, fruit juice are modifiable risk factors for childhood obesity. Data on consumption have not been previously systematically collected in the electronic health record (EHR) in a way that could facilitate observational research and population health management. In 2017 to 2018, we used data from an EHR-based SSB and More

Date: November 2019

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Beverages Healthy Communities

A Framework for Increasing Equity Impact in Obesity Prevention

One of the most pressing unmet challenges for preventing and controlling epidemic obesity is ensuring that socially disadvantaged populations benefit from relevant public health interventions. Obesity levels are disproportionately high in ethnic minority, low-income, and other socially marginalized U.S. population groups. Current policy, systems, and environmental change interventions target obesity-promoting aspects of physical, economic, social, More

Date: October 2019

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Healthy Communities

The Role of Chain Pharmacies to Promote Healthy Food Retail: Current Trends, Legal Limits, and Policy Opportunities

Chain drug stores have increased their health care role through expanded pharmacy services and retail health clinics. They also are major food retailers. This creates a tension between health promotion and sales of unhealthy foods and beverages to pharmacy customers. This article explores opportunities to improve the nutritional quality of foods sold at chain drug More

Date: April 2019

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Food Retail

Implementing a novel electronic health record approach to track child sugar-sweetened beverage consumption

Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is a risk factor for childhood obesity. Including this measure in electronic health records (EHR) could enhance clinical care and facilitate research on this topic. We implemented a single-item, EHR screening question for SSB and 100% fruit juice at 8 pediatric practices affiliated with a North Carolina academic medical center. From More

Date: June 2018

Resource Type: Journal Article

Focus Areas: Beverages

Putting it in Pictures: Development of an Educational Video on Sugary Beverages & Implementation Using the Electronic Health Record

This mixed methods project will expand upon an electronic health record (EHR)-based sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) screening program for children. The research team will develop a brief educational video on SSBs to pair with ongoing screening of pediatric patients, and will evaluate video implementation in clinical practice. The team of obesity and health communications researchers will More

Date: December 2017

Resource Type: Commissioned Research Project Summary

Focus Areas: Beverages

Studying the Novel Approach of Using Electronic Health Records From Pediatric Primary Care to Measure Children’s Consumption of Sugary Beverages

Electronic health record (EHR) screening for sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake may be a novel intervention for reducing SSB intake in children, and would result in longitudinal databases of individual-level consumption that could enhance the ability the evaluate local or regional SSB policies. This study aims to: 1) implement and evaluate the uptake of a single More

Date: February 2017

Resource Type: Grant Summary

Focus Areas: Beverages