Fiscal policies can shift relative food prices to encourage the purchase and consumption of minimally processed foods while discouraging the purchase and consumption of unhealthy ultraprocessed foods, high in calories and nutrients of concern (sodium, sugar, and saturated fats), especially for low-income households. The 2017–2018 packaged food purchase data among U.S. households were used to More

Medicaid, SNAP, and WIC provide low-income children access to vital medical and nutrition services for long-term health and well-being. Despite these benefits, few studies have investigated if these safety net programs, or the synergistic combination of all three programs, are associated with diet quality and weight status; and none have focused on examining these longitudinal More

Food insecurity is linked to a multitude of adverse health outcomes in adults and children. Yet, access to Medicaid has been shown to reduce such adverse health outcomes, and therefore, the ability to access medical care, specifically via Medicaid, is conceivably a driving factor behind the association between food hardship and adverse health. This study More

The federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) improves nutrition and reduces food insecurity among young children by helping cover the food costs for child care providers and families. This nationwide study evaluated the extent and predictors of the CACFP’s utilization among licensed child care centers to identify opportunities for expanding CACFP nutrition support. More

The goal of this report is to make recommendations for policy, voluntary actions, and research areas to support in-store and online food environments that make healthy food and beverage choices easier for all consumers. All shoppers face barriers to purchasing nutritious food in a retail environment that disproportionately promotes unhealthy food products. However, retail marketing More

Millions of American renter households every year are threatened with eviction, an event associated with severe negative impacts on health and economic well-being. Yet we know little about the characteristics of individuals living in these households. Here, we link 38 million eviction court cases to US Census Bureau data to show that 7.6 million people, More

The emergency school meals program provided free meals to children in the United States (US) during COVID-19-related school closures. This scoping review aims to synthesize the existing qualitative empirical evidence published between March 2020 and January 2023 on the operations and utilization of emergency school meal programs during the pandemic. Qualitative, US-based peer-reviewed literature was More

Policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) approaches can facilitate physical activity in priority populations (e.g., racial and ethnic minority, low wealth groups) within early childhood education (ECE) settings. The purpose of this review was to 1) characterize the inclusion of priority populations within ECE physical activity interventions containing PSE approaches and 2) identify and describe interventions More

To inform the consideration by Congress of future benefit levels for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), this brief summarizes findings from studies conducted by Heluna Health’s PHFE-WIC Program and the University of California’s Nutrition Policy Institute.

This study examined beverage intake among families with low income by household participation in federal food assistance programs. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in fall/winter 2020 via an online survey. Participants were mothers of young children insured by Medicaid at the time of the child’s birth (N = 493). Mothers reported household federal food More