Ecology of Food and Nutrition (EFN) promotes scholarly discussion and engagement on the holistic and cross-cultural dimensions of food and nutrition. Articles published in this journal focus on foods and food systems in terms of their utilization to satisfy human nutritional needs and improve health and well-being. The journal also publishes articles that examine how ecological, social, and cultural factors relate to food, food cultures, and nutrition. Only a handful of journals publish articles that explicitly address the intersections of food and nutrition, biology and culture, and policy and practice from a holistic and global perspective. It is this kind of scholarship that EFN seeks to promote. This issue of EFN includes eight articles representing studies conducted in Ethiopia, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, and the United States of America. Collectively, the articles included in this issue explore the impact of household food insecurity, parental attitudes, and nutritional awareness on the health of children and adults, strategies to improve the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the impact of household socioeconomic status and menstrual hygiene on anemia, and the relationship between healthy food consumption and happiness.
The article by Holmes and colleagues reports the results of an evaluative study to assess the impact of school gardens on student self-perception in the Mississippi Delta. The research team collected pre and posttest data for two years to evaluate the Delta EATS (Edible Agriculture Teaching Students) school garden program across three participating schools in the Mississippi Delta – historically, one of the most disadvantaged regions in the United States. Based on their well-designed evaluative study, using both quantitative and qualitative methods, the authors conclude that the Delta EATS program gardens are successful in increasing garden knowledge and positive self-perception among students.
Hamedi-Shahraki and colleagues report the results of an evaluative study examining whether food insecurity is associated with clinical evidence of diet-sensitive cardiovascular risk factors (obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes) among women (18–50 years) in Iran. The authors assessed the level of food insecurity using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) questionnaire. The authors report that food insecurity was associated with an increased risk of CVD among Iranian reproductive-age women. Based on their study, the authors make specific recommendations to reduce food insecurity to improve women’s health in Iran.
The article by Amoguis and colleagues examines the factors associated with the nutritional status of school children in the rural municipality of Cebu, Philippines. The authors collected anthropometric data from children (aged 6–12 years) and visited homes of the children to interview parents to examine factors contributing to child malnutrition in the household. The authors report that severe household food insecurity was associated with lower weight-for-age scores among children, thus suggesting that children were not receiving sufficient food for their normal growth and development. Based on their study, the authors recommend that the local municipality leadership prioritize strengthening school-based growth monitoring and feeding programs for vulnerable children.
Dhillon and colleagues report the results of a cross-sectional study to assess the level of anemia and related abnormalities among adolescents in a rural community in Punjab, India. The authors examined the household socioeconomic status and menstrual hygiene and health status among adolescent girls. The results of the study suggest a strong influence of socioeconomic status and menstrual hygiene and health on the prevalence of anemia in adolescent girls. Poor socioeconomic status was also found to be associated with a low level of hemoglobin in girls who participated in the study.
The article by Houghtaling et al. reports the results of a study assessing the perceived cost and inconvenience to implement eight marketing-mix and choice-architecture (MMCA) strategies among 29 US Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) retailers. The SNAP program, offered by the United States Department of Agriculture, offers assistance to low-income individuals by providing supplemental income to purchase food and beverages. The author collected data using a structured cost-analysis questionnaire. The results of this study suggest that cost is an important consideration for SNAP-authorized retailers for the adoption, implementation, and maintenance of health food retail strategies.
The article by Sanlier and colleagues presents the result of a study examining the adherence of children to the Mediterranean Diet and parents’ beliefs, attitudes, and practices associated with feeding preschool children. The authors collected data using a randomly selected sample of families living in Ankara, Turkey. The authors evaluated parental beliefs, attitudes, and practices related to feeding preschool children using a 39-item PFQ2. Children’s eating habits were evaluated by using the 16-item KIDMED index. The results of the study suggest that the adherence of most preschool children with the Mediterranean Diet was below the optimal level.
The article by Melesse and Berg reports the results of a study examining the relationship between nutritional knowledge and consumer behavior using survey data from 996 individuals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The results of this cross-sectional study suggest that most individuals did not have sufficient knowledge about food and its relationship with health. More importantly, the causes and consequences of obesity were poorly understood by individuals. Among those participants who showed a higher level of nutritional knowledge, there was a corresponding shift toward a diverse dietary pattern and healthy eating.
Finally, the article by Phulkerd and colleagues reports the results of a cross-sectional study examining the association of fruit and vegetable consumption and food safety and health risk attitudes with happiness among people in Thailand. The authors used a nationally representative sample of 6,955 Thai residents aged 15 years and older representing four different geographic regions and Bangkok in Thailand. Based on rigorous data analysis, the authors report that risk attitudes and sufficient fruit and vegetable consumption were associated with happiness. This relationship was found to be statistically significant. The authors also make specific recommendations for policymakers and public health practitioners to design better nutritional and lifestyle interventions to improve the health and well-being of the people of Thailand.