Advancing the Effective Use of Racial and Health Equity Impact Assessments for Healthy Eating Policies

Start Date: May 2023

Organization: Public Health Law Center

Project Lead: Julie Ralston Aoki, JD

See more related research

Share

The project aims to provide a preliminary assessment of how Racial and Health Equity Impact Assessments (R/HEIAs) are being applied to state and local laws and proposed laws related to healthy eating and food access. The researchers will identify and collect examples of R/HEIAs conducted on healthy eating and related food policies, analyze the R/HEIAs, and develop preliminary recommendations addressing 1) food policy specific considerations that decisionmakers should consider when conducting and applying R/HEIAs; 2) R/HEIA-related considerations advocates should consider when developing healthy eating and related food policy proposals. The four steps in the outlined research plan are: 1) Identify R/HEIAs related to state/local food-relevant policies; 2) Conduct a formative content analysis of the identified R/HEIAs; 3) Evaluate and assess R/HEIA rigor and accuracy; and 4) Convene an informal advisory group consisting of government staff who conduct R/HEIAs and food policy advocates.

Resource Type: Commissioned Research Project Summary

Keywords: Equity and disparities, Law/policy

Focus Areas: Food Access, Healthy Communities

Related Research

January 2024

Food Insecurity and the Child Tax Credit

Food insecurity puts people at risk for many poor physical and mental health outcomes. Food insecurity stayed stable during much of the COVID-19 pandemic but rose significantly from 2021-2022 among U.S. households with children. Many federal supports were offered during the COVID-19 pandemic. These included expansions in food assistance programs like SNAP, as well as More

November 2023

Evaluating the impact of state-level economic-support policies on the nutritional health of kids and families

To address ongoing concerns of child poverty across the United States, states have introduced and modified family economic security policies related to the state minimum wage (MW) and state earned income tax credit (EITC). While poor nutritional health disproportionately impacts children who experience poverty, few studies have examined the potentially beneficial effects of state-level MW More

November 2023

Understanding the social safety net’s impact on food security to inform policy on how best to support children in low-income families

By providing resources to low-income families with children, the safety net has the potential to reduce food insecurity and improve nutrition. Understanding how much, how, and for whom the safety net impacts food security is a critical input into active policy discussions about the best way to support children in low-income families. The project will More