Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health
Master of Public Health
August 26, 2016
Gardening for Health: Patterns of Gardening and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption on the Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation represents a significant proportion of the American Indian/Alaskan Native population that is disproportionately affected by diet-related chronic diseases. Emerging evidence suggests that community gardening can improve health through increased access to, and consumption of, fruits and vegetables. The purpose of this study was to assess the patterns of gardening and fruit and…
Sodium in School Lunches Before and After Implementation of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010
Good nutrition is essential for child health and development. Effective school lunch standards can contribute to the well-being and academic achievement of students. The Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) mandated implementation of nutrition standards for the National School Lunch Program. The HHFKA standards required increased servings of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain rich…
June 30, 2016
Smarter Lunchroom Evaluations in Snohomish County Promoting Fruit & Vegetable Consumption in Elementary Schools
A majority of students in Snohomish County are not consuming the recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables (F&V). Schools have the ability to influence the amount of F&V consumed by children. Smarter Lunchroom strategies use behavioral economics to persuade students to choose and consume healthy food. Implementing Smarter Lunchroom strategies will support student nutrition and…
June 10, 2016
Analysis of Media Coverage on Breastfeeding Policy in Washington State
Framing of messages about breastfeeding policy in the media can foster or hinder interpretations of policy’s potential benefits and may ultimately influence important policy decisions in institutions and legislative bodies. This study evaluated how breastfeeding policies were framed in print and web-based newspapers in Washington State; to identify sources of frames; to examine the balance…
April 29, 2016
Cost, Quality, and Availability: Comparing Winter Produce in Supermarkets & Farmers Markets
This project was completed in the course NUTR 531: Public Health Nutrition.
March 25, 2016
Food Shopping Trip Characteristics Before and After the Light Rail
The Seattle Food Action Plan recommends improving healthy food access via non-auto transportation options, and light rail is a public transportation system recently introduced and currently being invested in and expanded. When studying food access, time is both an area-based measure of proximity and a component of travel cost to the individual, but proximity does…
December 11, 2015
Exploring the Use of Seattle’s Farmers’ Market Incentive Program (“Fresh Bucks”) by Household Food Security Levels
Farmers market incentive programs such as the Fresh Bucks program in Seattle, Washington aim to improve healthy food access and food security amongst low-income individuals. The objective of this study was to compare Fresh Bucks access and associated shopping behaviors across food security levels of high/marginal, low, and very low food security.
Measuring Plate Waste: Validity and Inter-Rater Reliability of the Quarter-Waste Method
Measuring food waste in school cafeterias is an important tool to evaluate the effectiveness of school nutrition policies aiming to increase consumption of healthier meals. Visual assessment methods are frequently applied in plate waste studies because they are more convenient than weighing; the visual quarter-waste method has become one of the most commonly used in…
Factors influencing water intake at school among youth in King County, Washington: a qualitative study based on the social ecological model
Sufficient water intake is essential for health, cognitive function, and school performance among youth. Approximately three in four children do not drink enough water during the school day leading to inadequate hydration status. Although research on youth water intake in school indicates that beverage choice may be influenced by school infrastructure, water quality, and policy,…
October 30, 2015
Kids’ Meals: Restaurant Assessment in King County
On a typical day, 33% of children ages 2-11 ate at fast-food and 12% at full-service restaurants. For ages 2-6, 12% of their total energy intake was from restaurants; for ages 7-12, 15%. Eating at restaurants is associated with increased sugar-sweetened beverages, decreased milk, and increased total fat, saturated fat, and sugar. Less than 10%…
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