A 2024 study analyzing the diets of over 4,300 infants in the United States using the Infant Diet Quality Index, also known as IDQI, revealed associations between diet quality from 0-12 months and select nutrient and ultra-processed food intake later when the children were 2-5 years old. Childhood diet has a strong influence on lifelong dietary habits. Nutrients of concern in the U.S. are vitamin D, calcium, potassium, and dietary fiber. The study showed that at age two, the IDQI score was positively associated with dietary fiber and potassium intake. At age three, the IDQI score was positively associated with dietary fiber, potassium, and calcium intake. At ages four, and five, IDQI scores were positively associated with intake of these and other nutrients. At all ages, IDQI score was negatively associated with added sugars and ultra-processed food intake. The IDQI is a useful predictor of select nutrient intakes in children 2-5 years old. This study was led by Alana Chaney from the University of California, Davis, in collaboration with Lauren Au and Charles Arnold from the University of California, Davis, Lorrene Ritchie from the Nutrition Policy Institute, Edward Frongillo from the University of South Carolina, and Euridice Steele from the University of São Paulo. It was funded by the National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, the US Department of Agriculture/National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the University of California Office of the President Historically Black Colleges and Universities Fellowship.
The University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources invites applications for a UC Cooperative Extension Specialist to become the next Director of the Nutrition Policy Institute. The Director leads strategic food and nutrition policy research, cultivates partnerships, identifies and secures grant funding, and provides overall leadership and operational oversight of the Nutrition Policy Institute. This position is based in Oakland, CA, and is focused on work across the state as well as nationally. The beginning salary will be in the Cooperative Extension Specialist series, Associate Step 1 $109,000 to Full Title Specialist Step VI $184,500 and commensurate with applicable experience and professional qualifications. The Cooperative Extension position is a two- or three-year renewable term appointment and is eligible for indefinite status (no end) after three terms. The position has been re-posted with a requirement of 5 years of experience (rather than 10 years) and a new deadline of February 16, 2025 for application packets to be received to assure full consideration. More information on how to apply is available online. Questions? Contact Tatiana Avoce – email: tavoce@ucanr.edu. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
The Nutrition Policy Institute's CalFresh Healthy Living Evaluation team, in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health, is thrilled to announce recognition of 129 schools, 79 early care and education programs, and 77 out-of-school time programs across California as recipients of the 2024 Leaders in Eating and Activity Practices, or LEAP, Awards. LEAP Awards recognize schools, early care and education programs, and out-of-school time programs that demonstrate achievement of best practices that support healthy eating and active living, as reported on a Site-Level Assessment Questionnaire. Awardees partner with their local health department's CalFresh Healthy Living program to plan and implement health promotion projects. We applaud these sites, and their Local Health Department partners, for their dedication to supporting the health and well-being of the children and youth they serve! For more information about LEAP Awards, visit the LEAP award web page or email EvaluateSNAPEd@ucanr.edu.
A new policy brief provides evidence supporting the need for an increase in the number of reimbursable meals and snacks under the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program, also known as CACFP, from three to four per child daily. CACFP provides nutritious meals to nearly 625,000 children attending family childcare homes nationwide, primarily from lower-income families. However, it currently reimburses providers for a daily maximum of only two meals and one snack per child. Research by the Nutrition Policy Institute, CACFP Roundtable, and UC Berkeley involved surveys collected from over 250 California family childcare providers in 2024. Findings revealed that providers typically serve at least four meals/snacks daily but struggle financially due to limited reimbursements. Two-thirds of providers expressed a desire for reimbursements to cover four or more meals/snacks, while one-third worried about children going hungry without CACFP meals, highlighting the program's critical role in ensuring child food security. The brief recommends increasing CACFP reimbursements to four meals/snacks to support child nutrition and food security. Interviews with providers, families, and sponsors further highlight the program's critical impact. Read the full brief for more insights. This work was supported by a grant from Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the California Collaborative for Pandemic Recovery and Readiness Research Program which was funded by the California Department of Public Health.
Nutrition Policy Institute researchers were awarded funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Healthy Eating Research program's 2024 call for proposals. NPI's Lorrene Ritchie, in collaboration with the CACFP Roundtable and Susana Matias at the University of California, Berkeley, received funding for a project titled, “Pilot-testing a peer navigator intervention for the Child and Adult Care Food Program to bridge a gap in nutrition supports in family childcare”. The Child and Adult Care Food Program, commonly known as CACFP, has the potential to improve food security, diet quality, and financial stability for low-income families, but participation among family child care homes in California is limited due to administrative burdens. The project aims to develop and pilot a peer navigator intervention, co-designed with CACFP stakeholders, to increase family child care home claiming and retention and bridge access disparities with newly enrolled providers. Only 7 grants were awarded this cycle.
