This research brief is intended to assist nutrition educators in assessing whether specific characteristics of nutrition messages promote desired dietary behavior changes. Based on a computerized literature search targeting peer-reviewed journal articles, it highlights three topics pertinent to...

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are the most recent set of nutrient-based reference standards, which, together with recommended dietary assessment methods, are used to update estimates of nutrient adequacy for population subgroups. Recent estimates suggest both dietary deficiencies and excesses...

This study is a comprehensive analysis of the nutrient adequacy of adolescent females, older adults, children and adults at risk of overweight, individuals living in food-insufficient households, low-income individuals, and individuals targeted by and participating in food and nutrition...

Reviews and synthesizes what is known about the drop in Medicaid and food stamp participation, as well as the reasons for the decline and potential strategies for increasing participation. The report finds evidence of barriers to access and participation, some predating welfare reform and some...

Shows that a little more than half of all food stamp participants were children, about nine percent were elderly people, and the remainder were nonelderly adults. Most households lived in poverty, and almost 90 percent contained either a child or an elderly or disabled person.

Notes that about 60 percent of eligible people received food stamps in 2001, although participation rates varied widely from state to state. The Midwest, Mountain Plains, and Mid-Atlantic regions had higher participation rates than other regions.

For each state, presents estimates that measure the need for the Food Stamp Program and the program's effectiveness in reaching its target population in each of the three years from 1998 to 2000. The estimates were derived using empirical Bayes shrinkage estimation methods, which are described...