Nutrition
Influence of Unhealthy Food Environment on Premature Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in Brazil: An Ecologic Approach
Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of general and premature death of adults aged 30–69 years in Brazil and around the world. Unhealthy food environments have been implicated as one of the factors associated with cardiovascular disease morbimortality because they affect people's health conditions and nutrition. This study aims to explore the association between unhealthy food environments (deserts/swamps) and premature cardiovascular disease mortality in the Brazilian population.Premature Deaths Attributable to the Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods in Brazil
Ultraprocessed foods have been associated with an increased risk of noncommunicable diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer as well as all-cause mortality. The study aimed to estimate premature deaths attributable to the consumption of ultraprocessed food in Brazil.Nutritional Composition and Purchasing Patterns of Supermarket Prepared Foods Over Time
Prepared (ready-to-eat) foods are sold in >90% of U.S. supermarkets, but little is known about their nutritional quality. This study examined trends in purchases of supermarket prepared foods and compared their nutritional profile with that of supermarket packaged foods and restaurant foods.Consumer Reactions to Positive and Negative Front-of-Package Food Labels
The National Academy of Medicine recommends that the U.S. adopt an interpretative front-of-package food labeling system, but uncertainty remains about how this system should be designed. This study examined reactions to front-of-package food labeling systems that use positive labels to identify healthier foods, negative labels to identify unhealthier foods, or both.Cross-Sectional Nutritional Information and Quality of Canadian Chain Restaurant Menu Items in 2020
More than 50% of Canadians report regularly eating foods prepared at restaurants. The literature shows poor nutritional quality of restaurant foods. No federal policy on improving the nutritional quality of restaurant food is available except for a provincial regulation that mandates Ontario chain restaurants to display the energy content of items on menus. There is limited information on the nutrition information reporting and nutritional quality of restaurant foods. This study aimed to examine the nutrition information reporting and nutritional quality of menu items of Canadian chain restaurants in 2020.Cost-Effectiveness of 5 Public Health Approaches to Prevent Eating Disorders
Eating disorders cause suffering and a high risk of death. Accelerating the translation of research into implementation will require intervention cost-effectiveness estimates. The objective of this study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of 5 public health approaches to preventing eating disorders among adolescents and young adults.State-Level Socioeconomic Racial Inequity and Food Insecurity in the U.S.
Racial inequities in food insecurity have been documented for the past 2 decades in the U.S., with the prevalence of food insecurity among Black households being 2–3 times higher than that among White households across time. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between socioeconomic indicators of structural racism at the state level and food insecurity among White and Black households in the U.S.Food Insecurity and Mental Well-Being in Immigrants: A Global Analysis
This study estimates the prevalence of food insecurity, mental well-being, and their associations among immigrants and compares the food insecurity–mental well-being associations with nonimmigrants globally and by region.A Decade of Nutrition and Health Disparities Research at NIH, 2010–2019
Nutrition health disparities include differences in incidence, prevalence, morbidity, and mortality of diet-related diseases and conditions. Often, race, ethnicity, and the social determinants of health are associated with dietary intake and related health disparities. This report describes the nutrition health disparities research supported by NIH over the past decade and offers future research opportunities relevant to NIH's mission as described in the Strategic Plan for NIH Nutrition Research.U.S. Nutrition Assistance Program Participation and Childhood Obesity: The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study 2011
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; Free/Reduced Priced Lunch Program; and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children reduce food insecurity for millions of Americans with lower incomes. However, critics have questioned whether they increase obesity. This study examined whether program participation was associated with BMI z-score from kindergarten to fifth grade.Child-Directed Marketing, Health Claims, and Nutrients in Popular Beverages
Fruit drinks are a major source of added sugar in children's diets. This study describes the associations between front-of-package child-directed marketing (i.e., sports, fantasy, or child-directed imagery; child-directed text) and (1) health-related claims and (2) nutrient content of fruit drinks, 100% juices, and flavored waters.Farmers’ Market Incentives for Low-Income Families: Who Uses, How Much, and Why
Focusing on participation and utilization, this research helps to assess the potential impact and contributions of farmers’ market incentive programs, often seen as means for improving nutrition and preventing disease among low-income families.Improving Diet Quality in U.S. Adults: A 30-Year Health and Economic Impact Microsimulation
Epidemiologic studies relating health outcomes to dietary patterns captured by diet quality indices have shown better quality scores associated with lower mortality and chronic disease incidence. However, changing chronic disease risk factors only alters population health over time, and initial diet quality systematically varies across the population by sociodemographic status. This study uses microsimulation to examine 30-year impacts of improved diet quality by sociodemographic group.Health Literacy, Numeracy, and Health Promotion: A Secondary Analysis of the Choosewell 365 Workplace Trial
Health literacy and numeracy are linked to obesity and dietary behaviors. This study investigates whether the effect of a workplace behavioral intervention to prevent weight gain and improve diet differed by employee health literacy and numeracy.Duration of Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Participation is Associated With Children's Diet Quality at Age 3 Years
Adequate childhood nutrition contributes to prevention of chronic diseases. The supplemental foods and nutrition education provided by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, a federal program serving women, infants, and children up to age 5 years in low-income families and at nutritional risk, intend to optimize dietary intakes. This study assesses associations between duration of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children participation, early feeding practices, and children's diet quality at age 3 years.Sustained Impact of the Philadelphia Beverage Tax on Beverage Prices and Sales Over 2 Years
It is unclear whether changes in beverage price and sales after beverage tax implementation can be sustained long term. This study aims to quantify the changes in beverage prices and sales in large retailers 2 years after the implementation of the 1.5 cents per ounce Philadelphia beverage tax.University Pouring Rights Contracts: Provisions That May Protect Companies From Beverage Policies
Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is associated with chronic diseases across the lifespan.1 Despite the recent modest decreases in consumption,2 SSBs remain the single largest source of added sugars and calories in the U.S. diet,3 and increases in consumption among children and adolescents highlight priorities for public health intervention.4 Beverage companies further drive this increase in consumption by entering into legal agreements (i.e., pouring rights contracts) with schools to be the sole provider of SSBs in return for payments and promotions worth millions of dollars.Participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children and Dietary Intake in Children: Associations With Race and Ethnicity
Establishing healthy dietary intake in pediatric populations is important for prevention of chronic disease across the lifespan. Federal nutrition assistance programs can support the dietary intake of U.S. children. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participation status and dietary intake within racial and ethnic groups.Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Pricing Policies: Simulation of Minimum Price Laws and Taxes in New York City
Minimum price laws, which set a price below which a product cannot be sold, are a promising but understudied strategy for reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. New York City has implemented a minimum price law for tobacco products and could consider this policy for sugar-sweetened beverages. This study projects the impacts of a sugar-sweetened beverage minimum price law among New York City adults, with effects of a sugar-sweetened beverage excise tax examined for comparison.Consumption of Ultraprocessed Foods and Diet Quality Among U.S. Children and Adults
Consumption of ultraprocessed foods has been linked with higher intake of added sugars, sodium, and unhealthful fats, but the associations of ultraprocessed foods with overall diet quality and major food groups are not well known.Analysis of Public Testimony About Philadelphia's Sweetened Beverage Tax
Although interest in beverage taxes has increased in recent years, industry opposition and other challenges have limited their spread in the U.S. Because beverage tax proposals are often unsuccessful, there is limited empirical evidence to inform advocacy efforts. Philadelphia's 1.5 cent-per-ounce tax on sweetened beverages provides an opportunity to understand how public testimony for and against the tax was framed in a city that ultimately passed the policy.Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption in Children: The Interplay of Household SNAP and WIC Participation
Although sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is associated with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participation, no national studies have examined the interplay between these programs. This study compares children's sugar-sweetened beverage consumption across households enrolled in one, both, or neither program.U.S. Households’ Children's Drink Purchases: 2006–2017 Trends and Associations With Marketing
Sugar-sweetened beverages contribute a large proportion of added sugar in young children's diets; yet, companies market sugar-sweetened children's drinks extensively to children and parents. This study examines the changes in children's drink purchases by U.S. households with young children and the associations with marketing practices.Storybooks About Healthy Beverage Consumption: Effects in an Online Randomized Experiment With Parents
Parents spend substantial time reading to their children, making storybooks a promising but understudied avenue for motivating parents to serve their children healthier beverages. This study examines parents’ reactions to messages promoting healthy beverage consumption embedded in a children's storybook.Longitudinal Analysis of Food Insufficiency and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in the CARDIA study
Most previous studies on food insecurity and cardiovascular disease risk factors are cross-sectional. Without longitudinal data, it is unclear whether food insecurity precedes poor health and how exposure timing impacts these relationships.
