Child and Adolescent Fast-Food Choice and the Influence of Calorie Labeling: A Natural Experiment

This article examines children’s and adolescents’ fast-food choices and the influence of calorie labels on adolescent and parent food choice in lower-income communities in New York City (NYC) and Newark, New Jersey (comparison city) before and after mandatory menu labeling began in NYC. Researchers found no statistically significant differences in calories purchased before and after More

Healthy Food Purchasing Among African American Youth: Associations with Child Gender, Adult Caregiver Characteristics and the Home Food Environment

This article discusses how the home food environment and caregiver and youth characteristics are associated with healthy food purchasing among lower-income African-American youth. Researchers found that intentions to eat healthier, caregivers’ attitude towards healthy eating and more frequent food preparation by family members were each significantly associated with higher frequency of purchasing healthy foods among More

Understanding the Rural Food Environment–Perspectives of Low-Income Parents

This article focuses on the food environment and food shopping habits of lower-income residents in rural Maine. Focus groups were conducted with lower-income parents of children enrolled in Medicaid/State Children’s Health Insurance Program in Maine to ask them about their food shopping habits, the barriers they faced when trying to obtain food, places where they More

Food Insecurity and Weight Status Among U.S. Children and Families: A Review of the Literature

Food insecurity disproportionately affects U.S. demographic groups of children and adults at greatest risk for obesity and may lead to weight gain through various pathways. This article presents a comprehensive summary of the current literature on the relationship between food insecurity and weight status, and the role federal food and nutrition assistance programs may play More

Impact of Maine’s Statewide Nutrition Policy on High School Food Environments

This article examines the effects of Maine’s statewide nutrition policy banning “foods of minimal nutritional value” in public high schools (Chapter 51). The food environment of public high schools participating in federally funded meal programs was evaluated. Researchers found a significant decrease in availability of soda in student vending machines post-Chapter 51. No significant changes More

Relative Contribution of Energy Intake and Energy Expenditure to Childhood Obesity: A Review of the Literature and Directions for Future Research

Understanding the relative importance of overconsumption and physical inactivity to excess weight gain among children and adolescents can contribute to the development and evaluation of interventions and policies to reduce childhood obesity. However, there has been debate on whether energy intake or energy expenditure is the dominant contributor to childhood obesity. This review article evaluated More

Poverty, Food Insecurity, and Obesity: A Conceptual Framework for Research, Practice, and Policy

Recent trends in food insecurity in the United States parallel population increases in obesity. Historically, food insecurity and obesity have been viewed as distinct public health issues. However, since the mid-1990s, there has been growing interest in understanding the seemingly paradoxical relationship between these two issues. In this paper, the authors summarize findings from research More

Consumer Awareness of Fast-Food Calorie Information in New York City After Implementation of a Menu Labeling Regulation

This article examines consumer awareness of calorie information at fast-food restaurant chains in New York City after the introduction of calorie labeling on menus and menu boards. Researchers found that awareness of calorie information increased from pre-enforcement to post-enforcement of the calorie labeling regulation (25% to 64%). Among customers who saw calorie information post-enforcement, 27% More