New Exponential Scoring Functions for Diet Quality Indexes Solve Problems Caused by Truncation.

Background: Diet quality indexes, including the Healthy Eating Index, assess diets based on usual dietary intakes and a scoring function. Nearly all diet quality indexes use scoring functions that have floors and ceilings, thereby truncating the scores and losing information about intakes outside the scoring range. This score truncation has 2 important impacts: 1) the index does not reflect all intakes; and 2) the assumption that measurement error in intake reporting has a neutral impact on the diet quality score cannot be upheld.

The Accuracy of Portion Size Reporting on Self-Administered Online 24-Hour Dietary Recalls Among Women With Low Incomes.

Background: Accurately estimating portion sizes remains a challenge in dietary assessment. Digital images used in online 24-hour dietary recalls may be conducive to accuracy.

Objective: The current analyses were conducted to examine the accuracy of portion size estimation by women with low incomes who completed 24-hour dietary recalls using the online Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24) in the Food and Eating Assessment Study II.

New Exponential Scoring Functions for Diet Quality Indexes Solve Problems Caused by Truncation.

Background: Diet quality indexes, including the Healthy Eating Index, assess diets based on usual dietary intakes and a scoring function. Nearly all diet quality indexes use scoring functions that have floors and ceilings, thereby truncating the scores and losing information about intakes outside the scoring range. This score truncation has 2 important impacts: 1) the index does not reflect all intakes; and 2) the assumption that measurement error in intake reporting has a neutral impact on the diet quality score cannot be upheld.

Weight-related psychological inflexibility as a mediator between weight self-stigma and health-related outcomes.

Weight self-stigma, the internalization of negative societal stereotypes, is a problem among populations with high weight. Weight self-stigma is associated with psychological inflexibility and maladaptive health-related behaviors. In this study, the authors explore how weight-related psychological inflexibility may influence weight self-stigma and health-related outcomes in 79 adults with high weight.

Higher Fruit and Vegetable Intake Is Associated with Participation in the Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) Program.

Incentivizing fruit and vegetable (F&V) purchases may help address barriers to healthy eating among populations with low income. In a repeated measures natural experiment study, we examined whether participation in the Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) program increased F&V consumption among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients. Two hundred and twelve participants recruited at baseline through telephone calls were informed about the availability of DUFB at their local farmers' market (FM).

Healthy Eating Index-2015 Scores Among Adults Based on Observed vs Recalled Dietary Intake.

Background: The construct and predictive validity of the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) have been demonstrated, but how error in reported dietary intake may affect scores is unclear.

Objective: These analyses examined concordance between HEI-2015 scores based on observed vs reported intake among adults.

Design: Data were from two feeding studies (Food and Eating Assessment STudy, or FEAST, I and II) in which true intake was observed for three meals on 1 day.

Effectiveness of Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program in Changing Nutrition-Related Outcomes Among Adults With Low Income: A Systematic Review.

Objective: To review the effect of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in changing nutrition-related outcomes.

Methods: Relevant research conducted before December 2020 was identified using PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and the EFNEP Research Database. The methodological quality of each eligible study was assessed.

A randomized controlled trial of online acceptance and commitment therapy to improve diet and physical activity among adults who are overweight/obese.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has shown benefit for improving diet, physical activity, and weight among adults who are overweight and obese. However, research to-date in this area has primarily evaluated ACT delivered through in-person interventions, which has more limited access relative to online formats. The present study evaluated an online guided self-help program that integrated ACT with nutrition education to improve healthy eating and physical activity.

A Qualitative Evaluation of Double Up Food Bucks Farmers' Market Incentive Program Access.

Objective: Explore factors affecting access to and use of Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB), a farmers' market program that doubles Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for use toward the purchase of fruits and vegetables (FV).

Design: Focus groups.

Setting: Metro and nonmetro counties in Utah and western Upstate New York.

An Evaluation of Inter-coder and Intra-coder Reliability for 24-Hour Dietary Recall Data Entered in WebNEERS.

Objective: To evaluate inter-coder (between-coder) and intra-coder (within-coder) reliability among trained data coders who enter 24-hour dietary recall data collected through Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program operations in the state of Georgia.

Design: This study employed multiple cross-sectional evaluations of inter-coder reliability and a short-term longitudinal evaluation of intra-coder reliability.

Participants/setting: Study participants consisted of trained data coders (n = 9) who were employed during the 12-month period of evaluation.

The Provision of Assistance Does Not Substantially Impact the Accuracy of 24-Hour Dietary Recalls Completed Using the Automated Self-Administered 24-H Dietary Assessment Tool among Women with Low Incomes.

Background: Evidence is lacking informing the use of the Automated Self-Administered 24-h Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24) with populations characterized by low income.

Objective: This study was conducted among women with low incomes to evaluate the accuracy of ASA24 recalls completed independently and with assistance.

Methods: Three hundred and two women, aged ≥18 y and with incomes below the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program thresholds, served themselves from a buffet; amounts taken as well as plate waste were unobtrusively weighed to enable calculation of true intake for 3 meals.

The Grocery Purchase Quality Index-2016 Performs Similarly to the Healthy Eating Index-2015 in a National Survey of Household Food Purchases.

Background: Household food purchases are potential indicators of the quality of the home food environment, and grocery purchase behavior is a main focus of US Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition education programs; therefore, objective measures of grocery purchases are needed.

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the Grocery Purchase Quality Index-2016 (GPQI-2016) as a tool for assessing grocery food purchase quality by using the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) as the reference standard.

Design: In 2012, the USDA Economic Research Service conducted the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey.

Double Up Food Bucks Participation is Associated with Increased Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Food Security Among Low-Income Adults.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of the Utah Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) program on fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake and food security status among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients.

Methods: Data were collected in 2015, using a before-and-after study design. At the farmers' market, a convenience sample of SNAP recipients was recruited for a survey and a 4-week telephone follow-up survey.

Being Motivated by Nutrition Is Associated With Healthy Home Food Environment of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Recipients.

Objective: To examine the relationship between food shopping motivating factors and the home food environment (HFE).

Methods: Participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (n = 123) who were taking part in the Utah State Double-Up Food Bucks evaluation program were interviewed about their HFE, factors motivating shopping, and food security status. Composite HFE scores were derived from the Perceived Nutrition Environment Measure Survey questionnaire and food security score from the 6-item US Household Food Security Survey questionnaire.

Understanding the Experiences of Low-Income Individuals Receiving Farmers' Market Incentives in the United States: A Qualitative Study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify benefits and barriers to using a farmers' market (FM) incentive program among program participants.

Design: In qualitative semistructured interviews, participants were asked about their experiences with shopping at FM, using FM incentives, barriers to fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake, and changes in dietary intake. Interviews were recorded and transcribed.

Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Intake among Children and Youth through Gardening-Based Interventions: A Systematic Review.

Although there are numerous health benefits associated with eating fruit and vegetables (F/V), few children are consuming recommended amounts. Gardening interventions have been implemented in various settings in an effort to increase children's F/V consumption by expanding knowledge, exposure, and preferences for a variety of F/V. The purpose of this review was to identify the effectiveness of gardening interventions that have been implemented to increase F/V consumption among children.

Reducing Food Insecurity and Improving Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among Farmers' Market Incentive Program Participants.

Objective: To determine whether participation in a farmers' market incentive pilot program had an impact on food security and fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake of participants.

Methods: Participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program were eligible to receive a dollar-per-dollar match up to $10/wk in farmers' market incentives. The researchers used a pretest-posttest design to measure F&V intake and food security status of 54 adult participants before and after receiving farmers' market incentives.

An energy-reduced dietary pattern, including moderate protein and increased nonfat dairy intake combined with walking promotes beneficial body composition and metabolic changes in women with excess adiposity: a randomized comparative trial.

Moderate protein and nonfat dairy intake within an energy-reduced diet (ERD) may contribute to health benefits achieved with body weight (BW) loss. The current study examined the effectiveness of a weight-loss/weight-loss maintenance intervention using an ERD with moderate dietary protein (30% of kcals) and increased nonfat dairy intake (4-5 svg/d), including yogurt (INT group) and daily walking compared to an ERD with standard protein (16-17% of kcals) and standard nonfat dairy intake (3 svg/d) (COM group) with daily walking. A randomized comparative trial with 104 healthy premenopausal women with overweight/obesity was conducted in a university setting.