Start Date: October 2022

Organization: George Washington University

Project Lead: Uriyoan Colon-Ramos, ScD, MPA

See more related research

Share


The purpose of this study is to inform promising strategies that can curb SSB and excess fruit juice consumption and potentially provide safe, palatable potable drinking water as an alternative by building capacity in systems thinking among diverse stakeholders that serve families with infants and toddlers in Puerto Rico. The study will employ Group Model Building (GMB) – a participatory, iterative process within community-based system dynamics that enables the co-creation of qualitative causal maps (i.e., causal loop diagrams-CLD) among diverse stakeholders and decision-
makers representing multiple sectors in Puerto Rico. The CLD facilitates visualization of factors in a system and elicit community members’ insights and recommendations to promote systems change.

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

“It’s just not worth it anymore”: A Mixed Methods Study Examining the Impact of Reinstating Reimbursement Tiers in the Child and Adult Care Food Program

This study aimed to assess impacts of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) reinstatement of tiered reimbursements among family child care home (FCCH) providers, sponsors, and families in California. Irrespective of tier, surveyed providers reported that the reinstated, tiered reimbursements were insufficient (92.4%), resulting in reduced food variety (39.1%) and quality (14.8%), 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