Given the growing contributions of snacks to dietary intake and the need for effective strategies to reduce and prevent obesity, it is important to consider whether snacking behaviors are associated with high body mass index (BMI) in childhood. This review summarizes U.S. research that has examined trends in snacking behaviors and its contributions to dietary More
Early care and education (ECE) programs are important settings for obesity prevention, but limited research provides insufficient evidence upon which to base policy decisions, practice guidelines, or mobilized efforts to improve healthy eating and physical activity in these settings. In September 2011, a multidisciplinary group of experts met to identify and prioritize research directions for More
This paper examined the availability and accessibility of water in child-care centers and evaluated whether the centers were in compliance with current federal, state, and accreditation rules regarding water availability and promotion. Researchers found that while water was available in most classrooms (84%), it was only accessible by an adult in over half of those More
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
This paper assessed public opinion about arguments commonly used in debates over taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and found greater public agreement with anti- than pro-tax arguments. A majority of respondents agreed with anti-SSB tax arguments that such taxes are: arbitrary because they do not affect consumption of other unhealthy foods (60%); a quick way More
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
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
More than one-quarter of all Hispanic households in the U.S. are food insecure. Hispanic families in the U.S. comprise 30 percent of households with food insecurity at the child level. This article analyzes inter-rater agreement of food security among a sample of Mexican-origin children ages 6 to 11 and their mothers living in Texas border More
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
This paper estimates the changes in energy, fat, and sodium purchases resulting from a tax that increases sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) prices by 20 percent as well as the effect of such a tax on body weight. Researchers found that a 20 percent price increase on SSBs would result in a decrease in energy purchased in More
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