Examining the Feasibility of Healthy Minimum Stocking Standards for Small Food Stores

This study builds on the recommendations for healthy minimum stocking developed by an expert panel convened by Healthy Eating Research in 2015. It tests the feasibility of the standards and provides practical insight from retailers about implementation. Researchers collected qualitative and quantitative data from 57 small stores in four states (Arizona, Delaware, Minnesota, and North More

Media and Young Minds: Comparing State Screen Media Use Regulations for Children Under 24 Months of Age in Early Care and Education to a National Standard

Excessive screen media use has been associated with a number of negative health outcomes in young children, including increased risk for obesity and comparatively lagging cognitive development. The purpose of this study was to assess state licensing regulations restricting screen media use for children under 24 months old in early care and education and to More

Eating School Meals Daily Is Associated with Healthier Dietary Intakes: The Healthy Communities Study

This study examines the association between frequency of participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs and children’s dietary intakes. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Dietary Screener Questionnaire was used to measure dietary intake of fruit and vegetables, fiber, whole grains, dairy, calcium, total added sugar, sugar-sweetened beverages, and energy-dense foods. The More

Federal Nutrition Program Revisions Impact Low-income Households’ Food Purchases

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) required major revisions to food packages in 2009. This study examines associations between WIC revisions and nutritional profiles of packaged food purchases from 2008 to 2014 among 4,537 low-income households with preschoolers in the U.S. using Nielsen Homescan Consumer Panel data. Among WIC households, More

Arguments Used in Public Comments to Support or Oppose the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Minimum Stocking Requirements: A Content Analysis

This content analysis examines the arguments used to support or oppose the USDA’s proposed rule that all SNAP-authorized retailers carry more nutritious foods. A random sample of public comments posted to the U.S. Federal Register was analyzed. Three main themes were discussed throughout the comments: 1) arguments used in opposition to the rule; 2) arguments More

Promoting Healthy Food Preferences From the Start: A Narrative Review of Food Preference Learning From the Prenatal Period Through Early Childhood

Childhood is an especially important time to promote the acceptance of healthier foods given the oversaturation of unhealthy modern food environments, poor diet quality in young children, and the high prevalence of nutrition-related diseases in many nations. This review relies on a search of the literature from 2007 to 2016 on how children learn food More

Best Practices for Using Natural Experiments to Evaluate Retail Food and Beverage Policies and Interventions

This article describes and addresses the challenges researchers face when utilizing natural experimental studies to evaluate changes to the retail food environment. Through the use of case studies, the article describes strategies and approaches for overcoming these challenges. The challenges are divided into categories of: 1) study design and analysis; 2) selection of participants, selection More

State Variations in Infant Feeding Regulations for Child Care

This cross-sectional study reviewed infant feeding regulations for all U.S. states for child care centers and family child care homes, then compared the regulations with ten national standards and also assessed the number of new regulations consistent with these standards since a previous review conducted in 2008. The 2008 review found that the majority of More

A Supermarket Double-Dollar Incentive Program Increases Purchases of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Among Low Income Families With Children: The Healthy Double Study

This pilot study was conducted to determine whether a supermarket double-dollar fruit and vegetable (F&V) incentive increases F&V purchases among low-income families. The study was carried out in a supermarket in a low-income rural Maine community. The participants were low-income and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) supermarket customers. The participants received a same-day coupon at More