Low-Income Parents’ Use of Front-of-Package Nutrition Labels in a Virtual Supermarket

The objective of this study was to examine the impact front-of-package nutrition labels (FOPLs) have on decision-making abilities among low-income parents in a virtual supermarket. A 4-by-2 experimental design with 3 FOPLs (summary, nutrient-specific, hybrid) and a no-FOPL comparison was employed. The study took place using a web-based, 3-dimensional virtual supermarket. Parents (n = 1,452) from More

Prioritizing Health in State ESSA Plans and Report Cards to Support the Whole Child

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law on December 10, 2015, reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. ESSA created an opportunity to broaden accountability beyond traditional subjects, such as math, to potentially focus on health and wellness in schools. States could select health and wellness-related indicators, and identify strategies More

Food Environment Near Schools and Body weight-A Systematic Review of Associations by race/ethnicity, Gender, Grade, and Socio-Economic Factors

Previous research reported modest associations between food environments near schools and adiposity among children overall. The associations within sociodemographic subgroups have not been synthesized. This review assessed the evidence on the associations between food environments near schools and childhood obesity within different demographic and socio-economic subgroups. PubMed and Scopus databases were searched to identify studies More

A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Promoting Water Intake to Reduce Sugar-sweetened Beverage Consumption

This study aimed to examine whether promotion of water intake in the general population in and of itself reduces sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption independent from interventions that target SSBs. Seven electronic databases were systematically searched: PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo, CINAHL Complete, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CAB Direct, and Web of Science. The search hedge More

2020 Rapid Health Impact Assessment on USDA Proposed Changes to School Nutrition Standards

More than 21.8 million school-age children receive free or reduced-price school lunch and 12.6 million children receive free or reduced-price breakfast each day. Since updated nutrition standards for school meals, snack foods, and beverages have been implemented following passage of the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, a growing body of evidence shows their effectiveness in More

Executive Summary: 2020 Rapid Health Impact Assessment on USDA Proposed Changes to School Nutrition Standards

More than 21.8 million school-age children receive free or reduced-price school lunch and 12.6 million children receive free or reduced-price breakfast each day. Since updated nutrition standards for school meals, snack foods, and beverages have been implemented following passage of the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, a growing body of evidence shows their effectiveness in More

State Regulations to Support Children’s Cultural and Religious Food Preferences in Early Care and Education

In July 2018 the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics released a benchmark encouraging early care and education (ECE) programs, including child care centers and family child care homes, to incorporate cultural and religious food preferences of children into meals. We examined the extent to which states were already doing so through their ECE licensing and More

Leveraging Juvenile Justice Food Environments to Advance Health Equity

Researchers and advocates have drawn attention to the public health consequences of mass incarceration and its contribution to racial health disparities in the United States. The conditions within juvenile justice facilities may influence long-term health outcomes for African-American, Latino, and Native American populations, who are more likely than white youth to be placed in these More

Understanding the Public Health Significance of the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative

The Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) is a voluntary industry initiative in which companies commit to feature only foods meeting specific nutrition criteria in advertising directed primarily to children under age 12. Uniform nutrition criteria were originally established in 2011, and new criteria will go into effect in January 2020. The public health More

Evaluating A USDA Program That Gives SNAP Participants Financial Incentives To Buy Fresh Produce In Supermarkets

Pricing incentives may reduce disparities in obesity among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants by increasing fruit and vegetable purchases. However, few studies have evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of those incentives in supermarkets, as opposed to farmers markets. In 2015 and 2016, as part of a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) pilot program, a More