Associations of Food Stamp Participation with Dietary Quality and Obesity in Children

Studies suggest that participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—the largest federal nutrition assistance program in the U.S.—may be associated with suboptimal dietary patterns among adults, but these associations have not been extensively examined among children. This paper discusses the results of a study that examined the overall dietary quality among a national sample More

Reducing Calories and Added Sugars by Improving Children’s Beverage Choices

This study used national data from the third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study (SNDA-III) to conduct simulation analyses to estimate changes in mean calories consumed from added sugars by switching from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and flavored milks to unflavored low-fat milk at meals and water between meals both in school and away from school. Researchers More

Assessing the Potential Effectiveness of Food and Beverage Taxes and Subsidies for Improving Public Health: A Systematic Review of Prices, Demand and Body Weight Outcomes

Given the obesity epidemic in the United States, taxes and subsidies are increasingly being considered as potential policy instruments to incentivize consumers to improve their food and beverage consumption patterns and related health outcomes. This paper discusses the results of recent U.S. studies on the price elasticity of demand for sugar-sweetened beverages, fast food, and More

Convenience Stores are the Key Food Environment Influence on Nutrients Available from Household Food Supplies in Texas Border Colonias

This paper examines spatial access to retail food stores, including traditional (supercenters, supermarkets, grocery stores), convenience (convenience stores and food marts), and non-traditional (dollar stores, discount stores) stores, as well as food shopping habits, and nutrients available in household food supplies among 50 Mexican-origin families residing in Texas border colonias. Researchers found significantly greater access More

A Qualitative Study of Diverse Experts’ Views About Barriers and Strategies to Improve the Diets and Health of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Beneficiaries

This study engaged experts from diverse sectors to explore their opinions concerning the existing challenges to eating nutritiously in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program and propose strategies for improving the diets and health of SNAP recipients. The high cost of nutrient-rich foods, inadequate SNAP benefits amounts, and environmental factors associated with poverty were More

What’s on the Menu? A Review of the Energy and Nutritional Content of U.S. Chain Restaurant Menus

This paper discusses availability of nutrition information and nutritional content of menu items in the largest chain restaurants in the United States. Researchers examined the nutritional content of 30,923 menu items–including items from children’s menus–from 245 restaurants across the country. They found that while most main entrees did not exceed 667 calories, which is one-third More