Nutrition
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.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.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.Self-Rated Diet Quality and Cardiometabolic Health Among U.S. Adults, 2011–2018
Self-rated health has been extensively studied, but the utility of a similarly structured question to rate diet quality is not well characterized. This study aims to assess the relative validity of self-rated diet quality, compared with that of a validated diet quality measure (Healthy Eating Index-2015) and to examine the associations with cardiometabolic risk factors.Capturing the Healthfulness of the In-store Environments of United Kingdom Supermarket Stores Over 5 Months (January–May 2019)
Numerous environmental factors within supermarkets can influence the healthfulness of food purchases. This research aims to identify the changes in store healthfulness scores and assess the variations by store type and neighborhood deprivation using an adapted Consumer Nutrition Environment tool.Calorie Labeling and Product Reformulation: A Longitudinal Analysis of Supermarket-Prepared Foods
The 2010 Affordable Care Act required chain retail food establishments, including supermarkets, to post calorie information for prepared (i.e., ready to eat) foods. Implementation of calorie labeling could spur companies to reduce the calorie content of prepared foods, but few studies have explored this. This study evaluates the changes in the calorie content of prepared foods at 2 large U.S. supermarket chains after they implemented calorie labels in April 2017.Marketing to Children Inside Quick Service Restaurants: Differences by Community Demographics
In the U.S., children regularly consume foods from quick-service restaurants, but little is known about the marketing strategies currently used inside quick-service restaurants. This study aims to validate a child-focused Environmental Assessment Tool for quick-service restaurants, evaluate marketing strategies inside and on the exterior of quick-service restaurants, and examine differences by community race/ethnicity or income.Elevated Dietary Inflammation Among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Recipients Provides Targets for Precision Public Health Intervention
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was designed to prevent food insecurity among low-income Americans and has been linked to improvements in pregnancy health, long-term child development, and criminal recidivism. However, the pursuit of food security does not ensure nutritional sufficiency, and the program has not improved diet quality or cardiometabolic mortality (i.e., heart disease, stroke, diabetes). In this study, longitudinal cohort data are used to identify by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program status the proinflammatory characteristics that predispose to chronic disease.Messages Promoting Healthy Kids’ Meals: An Online RCT
Calorie labeling is now required on all large U.S. chain restaurant menus, but its influence on consumer behavior is mixed. This study examines whether different parent-targeted messages encourage parents to order lower-calorie meals for their children in a hypothetical online setting.Association Between Restaurant Menu Item Descriptions and Their Nutrient Content
Item descriptions on restaurant menus often include claims about health and other attributes, and these are much less regulated than the language on packaged food labels. This study tests whether menu items with claims have different nutritional content from items without claims.Food Insufficiency and Mental Health in the U.S. During the COVID-19 Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rates of food insecurity and mental illness have been projected to increase in the U.S. owing to significant social and economic disruption. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of food insufficiency (often the most extreme form of food insecurity), the correlates of food insufficiency, and the associations between food insufficiency and symptoms of poor mental health in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic.No Evidence of Food or Alcohol Substitution in Response to a Sweetened Beverage Tax
Evidence suggests real-world beverage taxes reduce sweetened beverage purchases, but it is unknown if consumers consequently increase food or alcohol purchases. This study examines whether Philadelphia's 1.5 cents/ounce beverage tax was associated with substitution to 3 kinds of hypothesized substitutes: snacks, nontaxed beverage concentrates, and alcohol.
