Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health
Master of Public Health
November 26, 2025
Promoting Nutritious School Meals through Visual Menus and Nutrition Education Posters
One in five U.S. children lives in a household with food insecurity, making school meals the primary source of nutrition for many. Research highlights the importance of breakfast and lunch for student focus and success. Highline School District offers free meals to all of its students. They aim to make meals accessible for all students,...Community Health Engagement and Nutrition Advocacy for the Latine Community in Washington State: Development of a Culturally Sensitive Nutrition Booklet
The primary goal of this project was to collaborate with the Latino Center for Health (LCH) to reduce the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus within Latine communities across Washington state by identifying health disparities in the Latine population and designing culturally responsive strategies to help alleviate them. The student worked to address the community’s...Developing a Data and Performance Measurement Framework for the Food Action Plan
The student assisted the City of Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) to develop a framework to track data and measure performance outcomes for their Food Action Plan (FAP). A specific focus of this project was on Values-Based Food Purchasing (VBFP) and providing baseline research on the current food purchasing patterns of City programs....Culturally Relevant Recipe Development for Seattle Farm to Preschool Program
Seattle Farm to Preschool (F2P) is a partnership of eight organizations whose mission is to “provide children and families with access to fresh local food and learning opportunities which celebrate food cultures and invest in our local farm economy.” F2P uses a systems-based approach to enact change and foster a resilient ecosystem honoring the land,...October 8, 2025
Fernanda Nunes
What is your background and why did you choose graduate study? I majored in nutritional sciences in my undergraduate studies, and then completed a dietetic internship that focused heavily on clinical nutrition. After the dietetic internship, I decided that I wanted to pivot towards public health and food systems work. I worked as a registered...September 16, 2025
Food Policy Entities in Washington State: A Qualitative Exploration of Social Capital
Food systems—and the policies and structures that govern them—are complex, and food policy entities (FPEs) are one way that communities navigate this complexity. Efforts are underway to increase coordination among FPEs, and exploring how FPEs describe their structure, activities, and experience with social capital can support these coordination efforts. This thesis aims to characterize local...Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors on Animal Agriculture: Evaluating the Effects of a Modified Deliberative Poll
This study evaluates the use of a modified Deliberative Poll (DP), a methodology traditionally used in political science, to assess shifts in college students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to animal agriculture. This is the first known use of a DP for the topic of animal agriculture. The modified DP was conducted with 40 self-selected...August 14, 2025
The Intersection of Culture, Eating Habits and Eating Competence Among U.S.-Born vs. Immigrant Southeast Asian College Students
Southeast Asian (SEA) countries have a shared culture that is distinct from the vaguely defined “Asian culture,” a nuance that is lost in U.S.-based research that reports racial demographic groups as opposed to ethnic ones. SEA cultures share characteristics in their relationship to food and mealtimes, and understanding these cultural influences on eating habits can...Nutritional Adequacy of the Planetary Health Diet Improved by More Nutrient-Rich Foods: Analyses of the FAO Food Composition Tables for Western Africa
The EAT-Lancet planetary health diet (PHD) was designed to meet nutritional needs while staying within planetary boundaries. This study tested nutrient adequacy of the PHD using the Food and Agriculture Organization Food Composition Tables for Western Africa (WAFCT). WAFCT food items (n=596) were aggregated into PHD categories (n=21). Median energy, protein and micronutrient content were...Affordable Nutrient Density of Aquatic Foods in the FAO uFISH Database Assessed Using Nutrient Rich Food Price Index
Fish and shellfish have the potential to improve global public health by alleviating protein-energy malnutrition and closing micronutrient gaps. The aim of this study was to determine nutrient density of fish and shellfish in the FAO/INFOODS uFISH database using the Nutrient Rich Food (NRF) index and compare their affordability in relation to protein and priority...Previous page Next page