January 11, 2021

In the shadow of an extraordinarily challenging year, we are incredibly proud of our grantees and research network for continuing to produce rigorous and timely research results, and adapting both to challenging circumstances and emerging research needs. Below are five examples from 2020 we think are worth highlighting; though we must admit, it was difficult to pick only five! 

In 2021 we look forward to strengthening our commitment and approach to building a Culture of Health, promoting health equity, and ensuring that all children and their families have the opportunity and resources to experience the best physical, social, and emotional health possible.

Wishing you a happy and healthy new year!
Five Research Highlights from 2020
1.  Every day, U.S. juvenile justice facilities serve over 144,000 meals to 48,000 young people. In January 2020 HER published our first two pieces of research on the nutrition environment of the juvenile justice system. One brief was written by researchers from RTI International and focuses on the food environment in juvenile justice facilities in North Carolina, and the other was written by researchers from ChangeLab Solutions and focuses on factors that shape the juvenile justice food environment and health equity implications. The two studies represent an important first step to learning how juvenile justice facilities' food and beverage offerings can promote or hinder youth nutrition, health, and wellness.

2.  In March 2020, HER published our latest expert panel recommendations--a set of nutrition guidelines for the charitable food system. The intent of these recommendations is to improve the quality of foods in food banks and pantries in order to increase access to and promote healthier food choices. These guidelines came at a time when much light was being shed on the issue of food insecurity and the importance and limits of the charitable food system, as food insecurity rates rose due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

3.  It has been ten years since the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA) was signed into law, updating school nutrition standards and improving the nutritional quality of school foods. In early 2020, USDA proposed several reforms to these school nutrition standards. HER conducted a rapid Health Impact Assessment to better understand how the proposed changes could impact student health. The study found that the proposed changes would adversely affect student's health and academic performance, and that students from low-income families attending schools in African-American and rural neighborhoods are most likely to be impacted by the proposed changes.

4.  In March, we began working with our research network and partner NOPREN to support a robust network of child nutrition researchers focused on COVID-19 response. In addition, our team began having discussions with key partners and government agencies to inform decision-making regarding innovative policies and/or programs necessary to support federal nutrition programs during and after the pandemic. As a result, we have published two briefs to date focused on the impact of SNAP and WIC during the pandemic, and funded ten additional projects that will publish results in 2021.

5.  In November 2020, we released the first national research agenda focused on healthy food retail in partnership with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and The Food Trust. The research agenda report and accompanying special journal issue aim to bring attention to the importance of research and evaluation of retail strategies to improve public health. While this work was conducted prior to widespread awareness of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., these research priorities are especially timely as a growing number of American families face food challenges as a result of the pandemic.

 

 

 

Healthy Eating Research is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation with direction and technical assistance provided by Duke University.