NOPREN Special Collections

Announcing the NOPREN Special Collection

The NOPREN Special Collections features peer-reviewed publications authored by NOPREN members in 2020-2023. This curated collection showcases the impact of NOPREN’s collaborative research and evaluation activities. It spotlights the many ways in which NOPREN member’s research has informed nutrition policy and practice at the national, state, and local levels. Included in the collection are articles on early childhood, drinking water access, federal nutrition assistance programs, rural food access, and pediatric obesity.

2023 NOPREN Special Collection

To view the 2023 collection, click here.

1. Harper, K., Bode, B., Gupta, K., Terhaar, A., Aysegul Baltaci, Asada, Y., & Lane, H. (2023). Challenges and Opportunities for Equity in US School Meal Programs: A Scoping Review of Qualitative Literature Regarding the COVID-19 Emergency. Nutrients, 15(17), 3738–3738. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15173738

2. Button, A. M., Staiano, A. E., & Seligman, H. K. (2023). Closing the Gap Between Evidence and Practice for Childhood Obesity Treatment. Childhood Obesity. https://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2023.0136

3. Kay, M. C., Duffy, E. W., Sun, B., & Borger, C. (2022). Comparing Diet Quality Indices for Low-Income 24-Month-Old Toddlers: Exploring Changes Driven by 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Journal of Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2022.11.016

4. Garner, J. A., Hanson, K. L., Pitts, S. B. J., Kolodinsky, J., Sitaker, M. H., Ammerman, A. S., Kenkel, D., & Seguin-Fowler, R. A. (2023). Cost analysis and cost effectiveness of a subsidized community supported agriculture intervention for low-income families. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 20(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-023-01481-7

5. Tovar, A., Fischbach, S. R., Miller, M. E., Guseman, E. H., Stage, V. C., Wentzell, B., Benjamin-Neelon, S. E., Hoffman, J. A., Beltran, M., & Sisson, S. B. (2024). Height and Weight Measurement and Communication With Families in Head Start: Developing a Toolkit and Establishing Best Practices. Childhood Obesity. https://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2023.0166

6. Park, S., Onufrak, S. J., Cradock, A. L., Patel, A., Hecht, C., & Blanck, H. M. (2023). Perceptions of Water Safety and Tap Water Taste and Their Associations With Beverage Intake Among U.S. Adults. American Journal of Health Promotion, 37(5), 089011712211500. https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171221150093

7. Staiano, A. E., Burkart, S., Flanagan, E. W., Melnick, E., Luecking, C., & Neshteruk, C. D. (2023). Policy, system, and environmental interventions addressing obesity and diet‐related outcomes in early childhood education settings: A systematic review. Obesity Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13547

8. Neshteruk, C. D., Burkart, S., Flanagan, E. W., Melnick, E., Luecking, C., & Kracht, C. L. (2023). Policy, systems, and environmental interventions addressing physical activity in early childhood education settings: A systematic review. Preventive Medicine, 173, 107606–107606. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2023.107606

9. Williams, B. D., Stephanie Jilcott Pitts, Onufrak, S. J., Sirois, E., Utech, A., Wood, M., Silverman, J., Funke Ajenikoko, Murphy, M., & Amy Lowry Warnock. (2024). A qualitative exploration of barriers, facilitators and best practices for implementing environmental sustainability standards and reducing food waste in veterans affairs hospitals. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.13357

10. Soldavini, J., Read, M., & Clay, L. (2023). United States Department of Agriculture nutrition assistance programs during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review protocol. PloS One, 18(7), e0288585. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288585

2023 NOPREN HER WIC Special Collection

The NOPREN HER WIC Special Collection is a result of the strong NOPREN and Healthy Eating Research (HER) partnership. It includes five important WIC studies from 2023. The study topics include assessments of diet quality measures, WIC benefit redemptions and their implications, program implementation, and participant experiences. The selected studies fill research gaps and present opportunities to inform policy and practice.

To view the 2023 WIC Special Collection, click here.

1. Jacobs, J., Holcomb, J., Margellos-Anast, H., Martinez, L., & San Miguel, C. (2023). An Evaluation of the Implementation of the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Farmers Market Nutrition Program at Four Chicago WIC Sites. Nutrients, 15(5), 1122. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15051122

2. Anderson, C., Au, L. E., Martinez, C., Ritchie, L. D., Tsai, M., & Whaley, S. E. (2023). Increased WIC Cash Value Benefit is Associated with Greater Amount and Diversity of Redeemed Fruits and Vegetables among Participating Households. Current Developments in Nutrition, 7(9), 101986–101986. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2023.101986

3. Anderson, C. E., Yepez, C. E., & Whaley, S. E. (2023). Lower redemption of monthly Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children benefits associated with higher risk of program discontinuation. Public Health Nutrition, 26(12), 3041–3050. https://doi.org/10.1017/s136898002300201x

4. Halverson, M. M., & Karpyn, A. (2023). Pandemic-Era WIC Participation in Wilmington, Delaware: Participants’ Experiences and Challenges. Nutrients, 15(3), 520–520. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15030520

5. Lyons, G. C., Kay, M. C., Duke, N. N., Bian, A., Schildcrout, J. S., Perrin, E. M., Rothman, R. L., Yin, H. S., Sanders, L. M., Flower, K. B., Delamater, A. M., & Heerman, W. J. (2023). Social Support and Breastfeeding Outcomes Among a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Population. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 64(3), 352–360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2022.10.002

2022 NOPREN Special Collection

To view the 2022 collection, click here.

1. Krupsky, K. L., Sliwa, S., Seligman, H., Brown, A. D., Liese, A. D., Demissie, Z., & Barnidge, E. (2022). Adolescent health risk behaviors, adverse experiences, and self-reported hunger: Analysis of 10 states from the 2019 youth risk behavior surveys. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2022.2088263

2. Vermont, L. N., Kasprzak, C., Lally, A., Claudio, A., Tumiel-Berhalter, L., Haynes-Maslow, L., Ammerman, A., Raja, S., & Leone, L. A. (2022). A randomized controlled trial of a research-tested mobile produce market model designed to improve diet in under-resourced communities: Rationale and design for the veggie van study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(16), 9832. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19169832

3. John, S., Winkler, M. R., Kaur, R., DeAngelo, J., Hill, A. B., Sundermeir, S. M., Colon-Ramos, U., Leone, L. A., Dombrowski, R. D., Lewis, E. C., & Gittelsohn, J. (2022). Balancing mission and margins: What makes healthy community food stores successful. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (Special Issue “Healthy Food Businesses: Models for Improving Diet and Healthy Food Access in Under-Resourced Communities”), 19(14), 8470. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148470

4. Martinez, C. E., Ritchie, L. D., Lee, D. L., Tsai, M. M., Anderson, C. E., & Whaley, S. E. (2022). California WIC participants report favorable impacts of the COVID-related increase to the WIC cash value benefit. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(17), 10604. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710604

5. Byker Shanks, C., Houghtaling, B., Shanks, J., Grocke-Dewey, M., Webber, E., Andress, L., Hardison-Moody, A., Patton-Lopez, M., & Haynes-Maslow, L. (2022). Disparities in dietary practices during the COVID-19 pandemic by food security status. Preventive Medicine Reports, 28, 101830. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101830

6. Hecht, A. A., Dunn, C. G., Kinsey, E. W., Read, M. A., Levi, R., Richardson, A. S., Hager, E. R., & Seligman, H. K. (2022). Estimates of the nutritional impact of non-participation in the national school lunch program during COVID-19 school closures. Nutrients, 14(7), 1387. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14071387

7. Park, S., Onufrak, S. J., Cradock, A. L., Hecht, C., Patel, A., Chevinsky, J. R., & Blanck, H. M. (2022). Factors related to water filter use for drinking tap water at home and its association with consuming plain water and sugar-sweetened beverages among U.S. adults. American Journal of Health Promotion, 36(5), 813–822. https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171211073304

8. Brown, A. D., Seligman, H., Sliwa, S., Barnidge, E., Krupsky, K. L., Demissie, Z., & Liese, A. D. (2022). Food insecurity and suicidal behaviors among us high school students. Journal of School Health, 92(9), 898–906. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.13199

9. Kaur, R., Winkler, M., John, S., DeAngelo, J., Dombrowski, R., Hickson, A., Sundermeir, S., Kasprzak, C., Bode, B., Hill, A., Lewis, E., Colon-Ramos, U., Munch, J., Witting, L., Odoms-Young, A., Gittelsohn, J., & Leone, L. (2022). Forms of community engagement in neighborhood food retail: Healthy community stores case study project. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (Special Issue “Healthy Food Businesses: Models for Improving Diet and Healthy Food Access in Under-Resourced Communities”), 19(12), 6986. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19126986

10. Cohen, J. F. W., Polacsek, M., Hecht, C. E., Hecht, K., Read, M., Olarte, D. A., Patel, A. I., Schwartz, M. B., Turner, L., Zuercher, M., Gosliner, W., & Ritchie, L. D. (2022). Implementation of universal school meals during COVID-19 and beyond: Challenges and benefits for school meals programs in Maine. Nutrients, 14(19), 4031. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14194031

11. Cradock, A. L., Barrett, J. L., Poole, M. K., Flax, C. N., Vollmer, L., & Hecht, C. (2022). Lead concentrations in us school drinking water: Testing programs, prevalence, and policy opportunities, 2016‒2018. American Journal of Public Health, 112(S7), S679–S689. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306961

12. Katz, B. N., Soldavini, J., Grover, K., Jilcott Pitts, S., Martin, S. L., Thayer, L., Ammerman, A. S., & Lane, H. G. (2022). “Let’s Use This Mess to Our Advantage”: Calls to action to optimize school nutrition program beyond the pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(13), 7650. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137650

13. Gustafson, A., Gillespie, R., DeWitt, E., Cox, B., Dunaway, B., Haynes-Maslow, L., Steeves, E. A., & Trude, A. C. B. (2022). Online pilot grocery intervention among rural and urban residents aimed to improve purchasing habits. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(2), 871. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19020871

14. Kasprzak, C. M., Lally, A. E., Schoonover, J. J., Gallicchio, D., Haynes-Maslow, L., Vermont, L. N., Ammerman, A. S., Raja, S., Tumiel-Berhalter, L., Tirabassi, J. N., & Leone, L. A. (2022). Operational challenges that may affect implementation of evidence-based mobile market interventions. BMC Public Health, 22(1), 776. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13207-8

15. Harper, K., Belarmino, E. H., Acciai, F., Bertmann, F., & Ohri-Vachaspati, P. (2022). Patterns of food assistance program participation, food insecurity, and pantry use among U.S. households with children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nutrients, 14(5), 988. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14050988

16. Zuercher, M. D., Cohen, J. F. W., Hecht, C. E., Hecht, K., Ritchie, L. D., & Gosliner, W. (2022). Providing school meals to all students free of charge during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: Challenges and benefits reported by school foodservice professionals in California. Nutrients, 14(18), 3855. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14183855

17. Thompson, H. R., Borger, C., Paolicelli, C., Whaley, S. E., Reat, A., & Ritchie, L. (2022). The relationship between breastfeeding and initial vegetable introduction with vegetable consumption in a national cohort of children ages 1–5 years from low-income households. Nutrients, 14(9), 1740. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14091740

2021 NOPREN Special Collection

To view the 2021 collection, click here.

1. Garner, J. A., Coombs, C., Savoie-Roskos, M. R., Durward, C., & Seguin-Fowler, R. A. (2021). A qualitative evaluation of Double Up Food Bucks farmers’ market incentive program access. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 52(7), 705–712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2019.11.010

2. Baquero, B., Anderson Steeves, E., Polacsek, M., De Marco, M., Chapman, L., Leone, L. A., & Simon, C. (2021). Evaluating the implementation and impact of a healthier checkout programme at a regional convenience store chain. Public Health Nutrition, 24(11), 3520–3529. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980021001488

3. Lewis, E. C., Colón-Ramos, U., Gittelsohn, J., & Clay, L. (2021). Food-seeking behaviors and food insecurity risk during the coronavirus (COVID-2019) pandemic. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 54(2), 159–171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2021.05.002

4. Seguin-Fowler, R. A., Hanson, K. L., Marshall, G. A., Belarmino, E. H., Jilcott Pitts, S. B., Kolodinsky, J., Sitaker, M., & Ammerman, A. (2021). Fruit and vegetable intake assessed by repeat 24-hr recalls, but not by a dietary screener, is associated with skin carotenoid measurements in children. Nutrients, 13(3), 980. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030980

5. Niles, M. T., Wirkkala, K. B., Belarmino, E. H., & Bertmann, F. (2021). Home food procurement impacts food security and diet quality during COVID-19. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 945. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10960-0

6. Ritchie, L. D., Lessard, L., Harpainter, P., Tsai, M. M., Woodward-Lopez, G., Tracy, T., Gosliner, W., McCallops, K., Thompson, I., & Karpyn, A. (2021). Restaurant kids’ meal beverage offerings before and after implementation of healthy default beverage policy statewide in California compared with citywide in Wilmington, Delaware. Public Health Nutrition, 25(3), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980021001245

7. Borger, C., Paolicelli, C., Ritchie, L., Whaley, S. E., DeMatteis, J., Sun, B., Zimmerman, T. P., Reat, A., & Dixit-Joshi, S. (2021). Shifts in sources of food but stable nutritional outcomes among children in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(23), 12626. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312626

8. Bertmann, F., Rogomentich, K., Belarmino, E. H., & Niles, M. T. (2021). The food bank and food pantries help food insecure participants maintain fruit and vegetable intake during COVID-19. Frontiers in Nutrition, 8, 673158. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.673158

9. Haynes-Maslow, L., Jilcott Pitts, S. B., Boys, K. A., McGuirt, J. T., Fleischhacker, S., Ammerman, A. S., Johnson, N., Kelley, C., Donadio, V. E., Bell, R. A., & Laska, M. N. (2021). Qualitative perspectives of the North Carolina healthy food small retailer program among customers in participating stores located in food deserts. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 1459. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11509-x

10. Landry, M. J., Phan, K., McGuirt, J. T., Ostrander, A., Ademu, L., Seibold, M., McCallops, K., Tracy, T., Fleischhacker, S. E., & Karpyn, A. (2021). USDA Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) vendor criteria: An examination of US administrative agency variations. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(7), 3545. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073545

2020 NOPREN Special Collection

To view the 2020 collection, click here.

1. Lee, D. L., Traseira, R., Navarro, S., Frost, N., Benjamin-Neelon, S. E., Cradock, A. L., Hecht, K., & Ritchie, L. D. (2020). Alignment of state regulations with breastfeeding and beverage best practices for childcare centers and family childcare homes, United States. Public Health Reports, 136(1), 79–87. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033354920964156

2. Winkler, M. R., Zenk, S. N., Baquero, B., Steeves, E. A., Fleischhacker, S. E., Gittelsohn, J., Leone, L. A., & Racine, E. F. (2020). A model depicting the retail food environment and customer interactions: Components, outcomes, and future directions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(20), 7591. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17207591

3. Park, S., Onufrak, S., Cradock, A., Patel, A., Hecht, C., Merlo, C., & Blanck, H. M. (2020). Correlates of infrequent plain water intake among US high school students: National youth risk behavior survey, 2017. American Journal of Health Promotion, 34(5), 549–554. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890117120911885

4. Haynes-Maslow, L., McGuirt, J., Trippichio, G., Armstrong-Brown, J., S Ammerman, A., & A Leone, L. (2020). Examining commonly used perceived and objective measures of fruit and vegetable access in low-income populations and their association with consumption. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 10(6), 1342–1349. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibaa077

5. Haynes-Maslow, L., Hardison-Moody, A., Patton-Lopez, M., Prewitt, T. E., Byker Shanks, C., Andress, L., Osborne, I., & Jilcott Pitts, S. (2020). Examining rural food-insecure families’ perceptions of the supplemental nutrition assistance program: A qualitative study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(17), 6390. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176390

6. McLoughlin, G. M., Fleischhacker, S., Hecht, A. A., McGuirt, J., Vega, C., Read, M., Colón-Ramos, U., & Dunn, C. G. (2020). Feeding students during COVID-19—related school closures: A nationwide assessment of initial responses. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 52(12), 1120–1130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2020.09.018

7. Tsai, M., Harpainter, P., Martin, A., Woodward-Lopez, G., Lee, D., & Ritchie, L. (2020). Healthy default beverages in kids’ meals: Evaluating policy adherence and impact in california. Current Developments in Nutrition, 4(Supplement_2), 730–730. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzaa051_027

8. Leone, L. A., Fleischhacker, S., Anderson-Steeves, B., Harper, K., Winkler, M., Racine, E., Baquero, B., & Gittelsohn, J. (2020). Healthy food retail during the COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges and future directions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(20), 7397. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17207397

9. Haynes-Maslow, L., Hardison-Moody, A., & Byker Shanks, C. (2020). Leveraging informal community food systems to address food security during COVID-19. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 10(1), 197–200. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2020.101.005

10. Niles, M. T., Bertmann, F., Belarmino, E. H., Wentworth, T., Biehl, E., & Neff, R. (2020). The early food insecurity impacts of COVID-19. Nutrients, 12(7), 2096. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12072096

11. Andress, L., Byker Shanks, C., Hardison-Moody, A., Prewitt, T. E., Kinder, P., & Haynes-Maslow, L. (2020). The curated food system: A limiting aspirational vision of what constitutes “good” food. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(17), 6157. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176157

12. Kinsey, E. W., Hecht, A. A., Dunn, C. G., Levi, R., Read, M. A., Smith, C., Niesen, P., Seligman, H. K., & Hager, E. R. (2020). School closures during COVID-19: Opportunities for innovation in meal service. American Journal of Public Health, 110(11), 1635–1643. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305875

Support for these products was provided in part by Cooperative Agreement Number (U48DP006374/ACL/ACL HHS/United States) funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO) and Prevention Research Centers Program, which includes the Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network (NOPREN). The findings and conclusions in these products are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position of the CDC or DHHS.

NOPREN infrastructure supported all or part of the collaboration for the included studies. In addition, many received financial support from other sources.

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