Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

After a brief discussion of the new NIFA organization with in USDA and the process for renewing our project (NC 1033), each project member discussed her/his accomplishments over the past year (see accomplishment section). The next item of business was a discussion of next steps for getting the book project to the next stage of production. Two meetings ago a book project was proposed and committee members committed to writing chapters. Over time some members dropped off the project and others did not produce their chapters. At present we have drafts or near drafts of six chapters. It was mentioned that we had been offered a book contract from NOVA. After further discussion, it was decided to hold a conference at which these papers and others would be presented. The papers would be assessed by an appointed editorial advisory board, and those papers that passed muster (with editorial changes) would be invited to participate in the book project. The discussion then turned to the process of renewing NC 1033. The next order of business was to begin to plan for the writing of a proposal to renew NC 1033. The discussion included not only new directions for the project (e.g., tying household food decisions to decisions made by those controlling significant food resources in the local food environment) but also continuities to the previous project (e.g., the connection between household characteristics and obesity in household members). It was also suggested that in addition to standard research, that various forms of so-called participatory research become a part of the next project. Next to last was a discussion of where to hold next year's meeting. It was decided to meet in Washington, DC in order for the project members to present research ideas to potential research funders such as USDA and NIH. The tentative dates for the meeting are October 13-14. Last order of business: Patricia Allen agreed to remain as chair of the project; Ray Jussame as vice-chair and McIntosh as secretary.

Members from Minnesota and Iowa found that physical and social environmental factors lead to constraints on access to food by rural residents. Research by the project's Minnesota member found that among homeless children, fifty-five percent of the children reported not enough food in the house and 25% reported going to bed hungry. Youth had inadequate intakes of vitamin D, calcium, and potassium and the majority consumed less than the estimated average requirements (EAR) for vitamins A, C, and E, phosphorus, folate, and zinc. Fruits, vegetables, and dairy were also consumed below recommended levels. Forty-five percent of boys and 50% of girls were at risk-for-overweight or were overweight. Overeating, eating anything, eating disliked foods, and eating at the homes of family and friends were identified as strategies to cope with food insecurity. The Michigan project member engaged youth in food environment research in order to not only understand how youth perceive their food environments but also to teach them how to examine this environment more critically. In rural counties of Texas, the Texas project representative and colleagues found that non-traditional food outlets such as convenience stores and fast food establishments were more prevalent than grocery stores; however, the variety of healthy food choices was greater in grocery stores and fast food establishments had a greater number of these than convenience stores. Other research in Texas found that children skipped breakfast less than previous research had suggested; furthermore, eating breakfast, particularly when one or more parents was present was associated with a greater number of servings from the bread/cereals and fruit/fruit juice food groups. From this same study came the finding that children spent more time in fast food restaurants the more time their fathers spent in such food outlets. A project member in Missouri developed a Missouri Hunger Atlas, based on 25 county-level indicators, which will serve as a model during the present development of a National Hunger Atlas. The project member representing Oklahoma has conducted research among Native Americans, finding that social marketing campaigns that focus on nutrition will have to address entire families and include culturally relevant and economically sensible messages.

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