American journal of preventive medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Weight-Gain Reduction Among 2-Year College Students: The CHOICES RCT.
The young adult years have been recognized as an influential period for excess weight gain. Non-traditional students and those attending 2-year community colleges are at particularly high risk for a range of adverse weight-related outcomes. ⋯ The intervention was not successful in achieving BMI differences between treatment groups. However, an 8% reduction in the prevalence of overweight and obesity over time may have population-level significance.
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Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) may help ease economic and time constraints of cooking, helping low-income households prepare healthier meals. Therefore, frequent cooking may be more strongly associated with improved dietary outcomes among SNAP recipients than among income-eligible non-recipients. Alternately, increased frequency of home-cooked meals among SNAP participants may be beneficial simply by replacing fast food intake. This study quantified the association between home cooking and fast food with diet intake and weight status among SNAP recipients. ⋯ Strategies to improve dietary intake among SNAP recipients should consider both increasing home cooking and reducing fast food intake.
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This paper provides a historical background for the current nutrition issues faced by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Food Stamp Program evolved into SNAP during a period when U. S. diets, particularly those of the poor, became less healthful. ⋯ The SNAP design has not responded to these shifts in diet and the powerful interests controlling our food system. This twist in the U. S. diet and food system presents a major dilemma to those attempting to form a healthy food program based on the results of an effective pilot project.
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Editorial Review
Biobehavioral Factors That Shape Nutrition in Low-Income Populations: A Narrative Review.
Although evidence exists for an association between income level and diet quality, a causal relationship has not been established. A number of studies found that the price of nutritious food and the time cost to prepare foods are economically driven reasons for this relationship. However, in addition to economic constraints, low-income individuals and families face a number of additional challenges linked with food choice, eating behaviors, and diet-related chronic conditions that contribute to diet quality and health. ⋯ Poverty and exposure to these insecurities are hypothesized to activate biobehavioral and psychological mechanisms-endocrine, immune, and neurologic systems-that influence food choice and consumption. Examples of biobehavioral and psychological factors that influence diet are stress, poor sleep, and diminished cognitive capacity. High levels of stress, poor sleep, and cognitive overload compound the challenges of economic constraints, creating a mentality of scarcity that leads to poor diet quality.