Healthier Home Food Preparation Methods and Youth and Caregiver Psychosocial Factors are Associated with Lower BMI in African American Youth

This paper discusses the results of a study which examined the relationship between home food preparation and adolescent body mass index (BMI) in a sample of 240 African American adolescents and their caregivers in Baltimore, Md. Researchers found that meals prepared at home in African American households do not necessarily promote healthy BMI in youth. More

Measures of the Food Environment

This website provides a compilation of articles that include community-level measures of the food environment, as well as some of the instruments themselves. The food environment is defined to include food stores, restaurants, schools and worksites. This website is updated on a weekly basis.

Children’s Very Low Food Security is Associated with Increased Dietary Intakes in Energy, Fat, and Added Sugar among Mexican-Origin Children (6-11 y) in Texas Border Colonias

This article assess the relationship between children’s experience of food insecurity and nutrient intake from food and beverages among Mexican-origin children (ages 6-11 years) who resided in Texas border colonias. Child food security measures and 24-hour dietary recall data were collected in Spanish by trained promotora-researchers. Researchers found that 64 percent of children reported low More

How Does the Rural Food Environment Affect Rural Childhood Obesity?

This paper examines the association between the rural food environment and rural lower-income children’s food consumption and obesity rates in six rural towns in Maine. Researchers found few significant relationships between the community food environment and the home food environment. A marginally significant relationship was found between the distance parents traveled to shop and the More

Do Farm Subsidies Cause Obesity? Dispelling Common Myths About Public Health and the Farm Bill

It is often argued that farm subsidies have led to the overproduction of commodity crops, and removing these subsidies would help combat obesity by discouraging overproduction of crops that are the base ingredients of unhealthy foods. This white paper analyzes the public health and agricultural economic literature and primary and secondary agriculture policy documents to More