Disparities in healthy food access are well documented in cross-sectional studies in communities across the United States. However, longitudinal studies examining changes in food environments within various neighborhood contexts are scarce. In a sample of 142 census tracts in four low-income, high-minority cities in New Jersey, United States, we examined the availability of different types of food stores by census tract characteristics over time (2009–2017). Outlets were classified as supermarkets, small grocery stores, convenience stores, and pharmacies using multiple sources of data and a rigorous protocol. Census tracts were categorized by median household income and race/ethnicity of the population each year. Significant declines were observed in convenience store prevalence in lower- and medium-income and majority black tracts (p for trend: 0.004, 0.031, and 0.006 respectively), while a slight increase was observed in the prevalence of supermarkets in medium-income tracts (p for trend: 0.059). The decline in prevalence of convenience stores in lower-income and minority neighborhoods is likely attributable to declining incomes in these already poor communities. Compared to non-Hispanic neighborhoods, Hispanic communities had a higher prevalence of small groceries and convenience stores. This higher prevalence of smaller stores, coupled with shopping practices of Hispanic consumers, suggests that efforts to upgrade smaller stores in Hispanic communities may be more sustainable.

As women age, they typically experience a progressive decrease in skeletal muscle mass and strength, which can lead to a decline in functional fitness and quality of life. Resistance training (RT) has the potential to attenuate these losses. Although well established for men, evidence regarding the benefits of RT for women is sparse and inconsistent: prior reviews include too few studies with women and do not adequately examine the interactive or additive impacts of workload, modalities, and nutritional supplements on outcomes such as muscle mass (MM), body composition (BC), muscle strength (MS), and functional fitness (FF). The purpose of this review is to identify these gaps. Thirty-eight papers published between 2010 and 2020 (in English) represent 2519 subjects (mean age = 66.89 ± 4.91 years). Intervention averages include 2 to 3 × 50 min sessions across 15 weeks with 7 exercises per session and 11 repetitions per set. Twelve studies (32%) examined the impact of RT plus dietary manipulation. MM, MS, and FF showed positive changes after RT. Adding RT to fitness regimens for peri- to postmenopausal women is likely to have positive benefits.

Patients who receive weight loss advice from a health care provider (HCP) are more likely to eat healthy. The food environment affects eating behaviors. This study explored how the community food environment may moderate the relationship between HCP advice to lose weight and eating behaviors. Data were obtained from a household telephone survey in 4 New Jersey cities from two cross-sectional panels (2009-10 and 2014). Analyses were limited to 1427 overweight and obese participants. Self-reports assessed frequency of consumption of fruits, vegetables, sugar sweetened beverages, and fast food. Community food data were purchased from InfoUSA and Nielsen and classified according to previously established protocol. Stratified gamma regression analysis determined the differences in the association between receiving weight loss advice and eating behaviors stratified by community food environment. Stratified analyses revealed that receiving advice to lose weight from a HCP was associated with lower reported consumption of total sugar-sweetened beverages, soda, and sweetened fruit drinks when participants lived near a small grocery store, or far from a supermarket, limited service restaurant, or convenience store. There were no associations between receiving weight loss advice and sugar sweetened beverage consumption when participants lived near supermarkets, limited service restaurants, or convenience stores. There were no associations with fruit, vegetable, salad or fast-food consumption, regardless of the community food environment. Food environment may play a critical role in moderating the association between HCP advice and eating behaviors. Interventions that enhance the community food environment may help convert HCP advice into improved eating behaviors.

Context: The Healthy Diné Nation Act (HDNA) of 2014 included a 2% tax on foods of little-to-no-nutritious value (“junk foods”) on the Navajo Nation. The law was the first ever in the United States and any Indigenous nation worldwide with a population at a high risk for common nutrition-related conditions. To date, research on community support for food tax legislation among Indigenous nations is entirely lacking. Objective: To assess the extent of support for the HDNA and factors associated with support including sociodemographic variables, knowledge of the HDNA, nutrition intake, and pricing preferences. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: The Navajo Nation. Participants: A total of 234 Navajo Nation community members across 21 communities. Outcome Measures: The percentage of participants who were supportive of the HDNA. Results: Participants were 97% Navajo, on average middle-aged, 67% reported an income below $25 000 annually, and 69.7% were female. Half of the respondents said they “support” (37.4%) or “strongly support” (13.0%) the tax, while another 35% of people said they were neutral or somewhat supportive; 15% did not support the tax. Participants with higher income ( P = .025) and education ( P = .026) and understanding of the legislation ( P < .001 for “very well” vs “not at all”) had increased odds of greater support, as did people who believed that the HDNA would make Navajo people healthier (vs not, P < .001). Age, gender, language, and reported nutrition intake (healthy or unhealthy) were not associated with HDNA support, but participants willing to pay 5% or 12%-15% higher prices for fast food and soda had increased odds of greater support ( P values range from .023 to <.001). Conclusions: The majority of Navajo community members surveyed were moderately supportive of the Navajo Nation tax on unhealthy foods. Higher income and education and understanding of the law were associated with greater support, but nutrition intake was not.

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to determine the influence of aesthetics and color of printed nutrition education materials on perceived credibility of the material content. Methods: A randomized 2 x 2 (aesthetics and color) factorial experimental design was completed on a university campus. Undergraduate and graduate students (N=204) were randomly assigned one of 4 types of flyers (high aesthetic-color, high aesthetic-black-and-white, low aesthetic-color, and low aesthetic-black-and-white). Perceptions on the flyer content (accurate, believable, biased, valuable, and trustworthy), perceptions of overall flyer quality (attractive, pleasant, confusing, and interesting), and knowledge of the content within the flyer were assessed via a survey after reading the flyer. Results: A statistically significant main effect of aesthetics was observed for perceived "trustworthiness" of the flyer information (p = .048). Flyers with high aesthetics, regardless of print color, had a higher mean score of "trustworthiness" (M = 6.01) than flyers with low aesthetics (M = 5.71). An interaction effect was seen for perception of the flyer being "confusing" (p = .02). The high aesthetic-black-and-white flyer had the highest mean score for "confusing" (M = 1.66) with the low aesthetic flyer printed in color having the second highest mean score for "confusing" (M = 1.56). Conclusions: The aesthetics of nutrition education materials appear to influence perceived trustworthiness of those materials.

While the use of sports supplements is common among athletes and active adults, the marketing strategies used by these sports supplement manufacturers remain unknown—especially relative to active and athletic women. This descriptive study aims to describe marketing strategies used, such as color choices, structure function claims, and picture choice, and analyze if there are gender-specific differences within the strategies. A total of 100 best-selling sports supplements were selected from three separate third-party websites. Food products, accessories, and kitchen appliances were excluded. Supplement main webpages and sports supplement-specific webpages were explored to determine which marketing strategies were used and if there were gender-specific differences. Of 169 sports supplement webpages reviewed, only 23.1% (n=39) included pictures that were only/majority female. Only 7.1% (n=12) of supplement bottles used feminine colors, while for supplement pages, only 8.3% (n=14) utilized feminine colors and 43.2% (n=73) used masculine colors. While the number of women athletes continues to grow, sports supplement manufacturers are not using strategies targeted to women. Future research should examine the reasons for this discrepancy and women’s perceptions of purchasing sports supplements targeted to men.