Start Date: February 2016

ID #: 73390

Principal Investigator: Janie Hipp, JD, LLM

Co-Principal Investigator: Crystal Echo Hawk, MA

Organization: University of Arkansas

Funding Round: Round 9

See more related research

Share


This project will examine the linkages between tribal government food policies and tribal community health, with a focus on the impact of food policy on obesity prevention among children and adolescents and the promotion of healthy eating. This project aims to study and report on three primary issues: 1) tribal communities’ use of food sovereignty assessments as a means to analyze their current and historic food systems and food history; 2) federal feeding programs within tribal communities including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations; and 3) laws and policies enacted by tribal governments that would support, enhance, or sustain future healthy food systems in Indian Country. For selected tribal governments, a comprehensive legal analysis will be conducted of laws and policies related to food, health, nutrition, and food access. In addition, research will be conducted on the selected tribes’ relationship with foods, including traditional foods, access to foods, and historical accounts of the tribes’ relationship to food sources. The overarching goal of the project is to document and convey representative stories of tribes within each region of the country. This mapping of information will assist other tribes by providing a comprehensive tool to inform tribally-led policy analysis and a more culturally appropriate means by which healthy food policies can lead to a new culture of health.

Related Research

August 2026

Understanding Ultra-processed Foods

Most foods we eat undergo some form of processing, but some foods are more heavily processed than others. This resource explains what ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are, how they differ from other types of processed foods, and what research says about their potential health impacts. It also offers practical tips to help people identify UPFs and More

July 2026

Forecasting WIC Funding Needs: Supporting Families, Strengthening Access

In partnership with Westat and with support from Healthy Eating Research, the National WIC Association (NWA) developed a new forecasting model to project funding needs of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) for Fiscal Year 2027. Report This report describes the model development, including methodology, as well as analysis conducted More

May 2026

SNAP participation and the healthfulness of food purchased by households with children during the pandemic

Changes in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic included emergency benefit allotments and operation waivers. Using five expenditure-based measures of the nutritional quality of food purchases, we tested whether changes in SNAP during the first year of the pandemic were associated with better nutritional quality of food purchases More