Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Accomplishments

Multi-State Collaborative Activities

All state teams actively participated in:

• Monthly multistate meetings to coordinate research activities, craft research tools, and plan dissemination activities
• Multistate subcommittee meetings and annual in-person meetings
• Collaboration on HCRC renewal committee activities
• Participation in virtual committee meetings (Healthy Campus Initiative, Mental Health Survey Tool, Big Data analysis)
• Maintenance of IRB continuing approvals for ongoing studies

HCRC Research Objective 1: Dissemination and Implementation of Healthy Campus Research Consortium Tools

Key Accomplishments:

• University of New Hampshire: Completed pilot testing of the suite of Healthy Campus Audit (HCA) tools on campus; further refined four HCA audit tools (Demographic, VEND, FRESH, SHELF) including beta testing of modified audits
• University of Rhode Island: Conducted beta-testing of revised Healthy Campus Environmental Audit (HCEA) in spring 2025; participated in revision of HCEA protocol in preparation for additional beta-testing
• Louisiana State University: Completed beta testing of training materials for all nine areas of HCEA in spring 2025; ongoing data collection using app technology for 3 of the audits (Demographics, FRESH dining, VEND vending, SHELF shopping)
• Rutgers University: Updated and refined healthy campus audit vending, dining, and food store training videos; conducted vending audits; Development and refinement of online training materials for conducting environmental audits

HCRC Research Objective 2: Development of Policy, Systems, and Environment Assessment Tools

Key Accomplishments:

• University of Rhode Island: Participated in development of Behavior and Environment Perceptions Survey (BEPS) Community; held community participant focus groups as part of Phase 3 activities
• Ohio State University: Completed focus groups and individual interviews supporting item generation for behavioral environmental perceptions survey tool aimed at low-income communities
• Rutgers University: Created modular survey data collection instruments investigating mental and physical health characteristics vis-à-vis weight-related behaviors (sleep, diet, physical activity) in young adults
• University of Kentucky: Developed and implemented Cooperative Extension curriculum "Food as Health" with training for 45 Cooperative Extension agents; expansion of programs in multiple counties
• Auburn University: Development of food security assessment tool for college campuses in collaboration across institutions
• University of Tennessee: Developed and implemented Cooperative Extension curriculum “Nourish Recovery” with training for 12 Cooperative Extension agents and pilot of the program in seven counties; expansion of programs in multiple counties
• University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign: The UIUC team started activities with healthy Illinois, and everybody eats initiatives to promote healthy eating behaviors; Continued participation in monthly multistate meetings to support discussions and decisions. Both the PI and the graduate students attended the meetings.

HCRC Research Objective 3: Expanded Understanding of College Students' Dietary Patterns

Key Accomplishments:

Food Insecurity Research:

• University of Kentucky: Piloted Food is Medicine programs including:
  • Online program for high-risk pregnant women (ages 18-35) with gestational diabetes, hypertension, or type 2 diabetes (N=25); participants received $200/month for healthy food; improvements in shopping patterns and health metrics maintained
  • Medically tailored meal program with locally sourced foods serving 25 adults with hypertension/type 2 diabetes (10 meals/week for 12 weeks); participants reported reduced blood pressure and improved fruit/vegetable intake
• Louisiana State University: Integration of Health Campus Environmental Audit (HCEA) tools incorporating food security assessments on college campuses; Beta testing of training materials for all nine audit areas
• Rutgers University: Developed and refined food insecurity instruments; began data collection for research protocols investigating dietary intakes among young adults
• Mississippi State University (Rahel Mathews): Conducted data analysis using publicly available NHANES data exploring associations between food insecurity, dietary quality, and breastfeeding practices to raise awareness of vulnerability in food-insecure populations
• Texas A&M: Worked on two projects this year that examined emerging adults’ dietary patterns considering the factors listed above. First, we utilized NHANES data to determine the prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome among emerging adults. We also examined the relationship between Metabolic Syndrome and diet quality. Second, in partnership with colleagues at USDA, we fielded a survey among young adults to explore the relationship between perceived parenting style experienced by young adults and their diet quality.

Mental Health and Dietary Research:

• Rutgers University: Created survey data collection instrument investigating mental health (loneliness) and dietary intakes in young adults; began data collection
• Ohio State University: Collected and analyzed data examining relationships between food access, diet quality, depression and anxiety in low-income African immigrant communities
• University of Rhode Island: Participated in development of mental health assessments; conducted research investigating relationships between ultra-processed foods and health in young adults
• University of Kentucky: Conducted pilot cooking and nutrition education workshops incorporating social cognitive theory principles
• University of Maine: Worked on a sub-committee to develop a system to assess mental health resources on college campuses. Participated in quarterly zoom conference calls to devise a plan and identify current survey tools/environmental audits that capture mental health resources for young adults on college campuses.

Physical Activity and Built Environment Research:

• University of New Hampshire: Recruited 441 participants into College Health and Nutrition Assessment Survey; provided personalized health assessments, anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical measures related to chronic disease risk to over 400 young adults
• University of New Hampshire: Mentored and co-authored three undergraduate student presentations examining dietary and behavioral outcomes related to carotenoid levels, bone health, meal planning agency, dietary quality, and eating competence
• Rutgers University: Gave 3 research presentations at professional meetings focusing on young adults

Specific Dietary Quality Interventions:

• Multi-state collaboration on College Health Interventions study showing improvements in fruit/vegetable intake and meal planning agency in undergraduate students (publications listed in publication section)
• University of Kentucky:
  • College Cooking Connection: 4-session cooking class and 16-week text messaging intervention to improve diet quality and food insecurity awareness
  • Locally Chopped: Monthly program featuring locally grown produce with recipe demonstrations and free samples; study component assessing preliminary impact on cooking confidence and longitudinal produce intake

Environmental Audit Data Collection:

• Louisiana State University: Improved data collection methods using app technology for dining, vending, and convenience store audits

HCRC Research Objective 4: Exploration of Lifestyle Behaviors and Environmental Factors Using Big Data Analysis

Key Accomplishments:

• University of Missouri-Columbia: Conducted cross-sectional data analysis from Population Flourishing and Food (PFF) study identifying statistical associations among diet, food environment, food security, health outcomes, and stress using univariate and multivariate methods; evaluated statistical relationships between environmental data and changes in anthropometric, cardiometabolic, and microbiome outcomes from interventions; integrated data with multistate group datasets
• University of Missouri-Columbia: Integrated data from YEAH, WebHealth, and Fruved studies using advanced analytic techniques with abstracts submitted and presented at American Society of Nutrition Conference 2025
• University of New Hampshire: Maintained and managed secure data storage platform housing multiple datasets collected by multistate research team; provided support for colleagues navigating the platform
• University of Rhode Island: Participated in preparation of data for Objective 4 and manuscript development; continued refinement of data repository for project-generated datasets
• Rutgers University: Continued assistance in refining data repository for project-generated datasets; participated in Healthy Campus Initiative, Mental Health Survey Tool, and Big Data virtual committee meetings
• Mississippi State University: All PIs participated in monthly meetings generating research questions and analytical plans
• Texas A&M: Administered a survey among emerging adults called the National Survey of Young Adult Nutrition (NAYAN); Assisted with cleaning the data and identifying appropriate research questions.

Additional Specialized Research Areas

Tobacco and Nicotine Research (Mississippi State - Meng Yang):

• Completed analyses examining associations between electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) product type, nicotine exposure, and factors influencing use patterns among college students
• Provided evidence to guide prevention programming and policy recommendations
• Initiated new projects investigating situational and contextual factors related to ENDS cessation among college students

Substance Use Disorder Research (University of Tennessee – Kristin Riggsbee)

• Developed a novel program for nutrition education for those specifically in a variety of drug recovery settings
• Trained Cooperative Extension agents regarding trauma-informed nutrition education approaches
• Piloted Nourish Recovery program to address food resource management, food safety, culinary skills, and dietary knowledge specific for adults in drug recovery.

Tool Development and Refinement:

• Development of Dining Environment Healthfulness Electronic App
• Development of Convenience Store Healthfulness Electronic App
• Development of Vending Environment Healthfulness Electronic App
• Creation of student training materials for cognitive interviews, writing research abstracts, conducting systematic literature reviews, analyzing data, preparing data dictionaries, and creating research infographics
• Endnote reference manager training materials

Grants/Contracts/Other Resources

USDA NIFA Funding

• College Cooking Connection: Disseminated USDA NIFA seed grant supporting 4-session cooking class and 16-week text messaging intervention for diet quality and food insecurity improvement among college students (University of Kentucky)

Institutional Support

• All universities maintained institutional funding for:
  • IRB continuation and study operations
  • Faculty and staff salaries for research activities
  • Graduate and undergraduate student support and training
  • Research facilities and data management infrastructure

Community Partnerships and Resources

University of Kentucky:

• Large hospital system partnerships in urban communities
• Small non-profit organizations developing medically tailored meals
• Partnership with 45 local farmers providing food sourcing
• Farm to Fork meal program (weekly recovered food meals addressing student food insecurity)

University of New Hampshire:

• Campus dining and food service partnerships
• Campus administrator and student organization partnerships (Nutrition Club, Healthy Dining Team, Kappa Omicron Nu nutrition honor society, dietetic interns)

Rutgers University:

• Nutrition Club undergraduate student organization
• Healthy Dining Team undergraduate student organization
• Kappa Omicron Nu nutrition honor society
• Dietetic interns programs

University of Missouri-Columbia:

• Integration with existing multistate research datasets

Louisiana State University:

• Health Campus Environmental Audit (HCEA) implementation partnerships

Ohio State University:

• Healthcare provider partnerships
• Community focus group participants and collaborators

University of Tennessee-Knoxville:

• Campus dining and food service partnerships
• Campus administrator and student organization partnerships (Undergraduate Nutrition Student Association, Graduate Nutrition Student Association, dietetic interns)
• Partnerships with local, regional, and state affiliates with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Multistate Collaborative Resources

• 16-university collaborative network providing research coordination, tool development, and data sharing infrastructure
• Monthly multistate meetings and annual in-person meetings facilitating collaboration and knowledge exchange
• Healthy Campus Research Consortium (HCRC) organizational structure enabling resource sharing
• Secure data repository platform supporting multistate big data analysis projects

Extension Resources

University of Kentucky:

• Cooperative Extension system supporting "Food as Health" curriculum development and dissemination
• Training for 45 Cooperative Extension agents
• Implementation of curriculum in multiple counties

Kansas State University:

• Collaborative multistate network coordination

University of Tennessee:

• Cooperative Extension system supporting nutrition and food safety curriculum development and dissemination
• Training for 90 Cooperative Extension agents
• Implementation of curriculum in multiple counties
• Development of novel curriculum related to substance use disorder in rural areas

Texas A&M AgriLife-El Paso:

• Developed, implemented, and evaluated an Emerging Adult Nutrition and Resource Management Curriculum. Emerging Adults at Texas A&M and a Texas community college attended the course. This curriculum will also align with EFNEP and be reviewed and potentially adopted by EFNEP.
• Fuel to Thrive. Fuel to Thrive is a 5-lesson nutrition education curriculum aimed to equip college students with the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed decisions about their health and well-being.

Data and Tools Resources

• College Health and Nutrition Assessment Survey instruments and website
• Health Risk Screening tools
• Healthy Campus Audit suite (Demographic, VEND, FRESH, SHELF audits)
• Multiple validated survey instruments including revised food insecurity instruments and mental health assessments
• Secure multistate data platform and storage infrastructure
• Electronic audit apps for HCEA implementation
• Training videos for healthy campus audit implementation

Publications

Journal Articles (Published)

University of Rhode Island:

1. Varela, E. G., Zeldman, J., McNamara, J., Morrell, J. S., Franzen-Castle, L., Olfert, M. D., Kidd, T., Kattelmann, K., Greene, G., & Shelnutt, K. P. (2025). Perceived healthfulness of the environment of communities with low income: Focus groups and interviews with Extension Nutrition Educators. The Journal of Extension, 63(1). https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.63.01.02
2. Winn, C., Ademu, L., Barr-Porter, M., Brenes, P., Brown, O., Byrd-Bredbenner, C., Greene, G., Groene, L., Kattelmann, K., Mathews, A., Morrell, J., Olfert, M., Shelnutt, K., Colby, S., & Dhillon, J. (2025). College health interventions improve fruit/vegetable intake and meal planning agency in undergraduate students. Current Developments in Nutrition, 9, 106343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2025.106343
3. Larcom, A. B., Lofgren, I. E., Delmonico, M. J., Missimer, A., & Melanson, K. J. (2025). Effects of processing level and nutritional quality on energy intake, ingestive behaviors, palatability, and satiety in a young adult population. Appetite, 108352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2025.108352

Rutgers University:

1. Quick, V., Chamberlin, B., Golem, D., Panchal, P., Phillips, S. G., & Byrd-Bredbenner, C. (2025). iENDEAVORS: Development and testing of virtual reality simulations for nutrition and dietetics. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(1), 389.
2. Pozzoli, A., & Byrd-Bredbenner, C. (2024). Young adult college students' satisfaction with life: Relationships with eating styles, BMI, and health status. Current Developments in Nutrition, 8(Suppl 2), 468-469.

Mississippi State University:

1. Mathews, R., Nadorff, D., & Cowart, R. (2025). Nurturing movement: Longitudinal associations between caregiver type, adolescent diet and young adult physical activity in a national cohort. Nutrients, 17(11), 1874.

2. Komakech, J. J., Nsubuga, E. J., Graves, J., Apalowo, O. E., Mathews, R., & Pylate, L. (2025). Determinants of anemia among children under five in Eastern Uganda: A community based cross-sectional study. Frontiers in Public Health, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1618395

3. Yang, M., Lohrmann, D. K., Huang, C., Jacobs, W., & Lin, H. C. (2025). Optimal urinary cotinine and total nicotine equivalents cut-points for distinguishing tobacco users from non-users among American youth. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, ntaf169.

4. Zheng, X., Yang, M., Li, W., & Lin, H. C. (2025). Meme exposure on social media associated with more positive E-cigarette perceptions and greater usage among youth. Journal of Health Communication, 1-12.

University of Kentucky:

1. Gillespie, R., Maksi, S., Bush, J., Cockerham, C., Luecking, C., Deierlein, A., Wasser, H., & Gustafson, A. (2025). Fresh funds for moms: Feasibility of a 12-week online grocery prescription program for women with food insecurity and gestational diabetes. Frontiers in Health Services, 2 Sept 2025.

2. Mayfield, C., Lauckner, C., Bush, J., Cosson, E., Batey, L., & Gustafson, A. (2025). Development of a statewide network hub for screening, referral, and enrollment in food is medicine programs in Kentucky. Frontiers in Public Health, 6 Jan 2025.

3. Watras, E., Sullivan, A., Harrington, E., Therrien, M., Yerxa, K., Barr-Porter, M., & McNamara, J. (2025). College student perceptions of a pilot cooking and nutrition education workshop through the lens of the social cognitive theory: A qualitative study. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1177/15598276251377716

4. Barr-Porter, M., Sullivan, A., & McNamara, J. (2025). Body mass index, sleep, and food insecurity predict prevalence of anxiety and depression in college students. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/15598276251339613

5. Barr-Porter, M., Sullivan, A., Watras, E., Winn, C., & McNamara, J. (2024). Community-based designed pilot cooking and texting intervention on health-related quality of life among college students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(3), 293. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21030293

Louisiana State University:

1. Bosch, C., & McKinley, E. M. (2025). Emotions of solitude and exasperation regarding managing dietary limitations among university students. MSI Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (MSIJMR), 2(8), 01-12.
2. Pradhananga, N., Niroula, K., Enriquez, J. P., McKinley, E. M., & Houghtaling, B. (2025). Investigating access challenges, facilitators, and strategies for campus food pantry utilization among international students in the southeastern United States. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 57(6), 548-558.

Texas A&M:

1. Dahl, A. A., Fandetti, S. M., Moore-Harrison, T., Barojas Chavarria, R., Raya, M., & Racine, E. F. (2025). The campus healthy lifestyles, outcomes and experiences study: protocol for an observational assessment of college students’ Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1593943.
2. Ademu, L. O., Escobar-DeMarco, J., Peterson, N., Paul, R., & Racine, E. F. (2025). Developing and implementing a university nutrition security action plan. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 1-17.

Book Chapters and Other Publications

University of New Hampshire:

• Larcom, A. B., Siebold, I., Melanson, K. J., & Lofgren, I. E. (2024). Hunger, desire to eat, and subjective palatability influence eating rate and energy intake. Obesity, 32(S1), Supplement Abstracts from the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Obesity Society.

In Press Publications

Mississippi State University (Rahel Mathews):

• Mathews, R., Pylate, L., Davis, G. W., Thorne, M. E., Taylor, J., White, S., & Pope, B. Food insecurity and food access among Head Start employees during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed methods study. (Accepted May 2025) Journal of Health Sciences and Extension.

Under Review Publications

University of Rhode Island:

• Larcom, A. B., Lofgren, I. E., Delmonico, J., Missimer, A., & Melanson, K. J. How young adults in the United States understand and conceptualize ultra-processed foods. Public Health Nutrition [under review].

Mississippi State University:

• McKeague, M., Colby, S., O'Neal, M., Mathews, R., & Olfert, M. A world's food course improves diet quality. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior [Revise and Resubmit].
• Pope, B., Mathews, R., Komakech, J., Gardner, A. J., & Samuel, S. The association of food insecurity on periodontitis among Hispanic men: Findings from an analysis of NHANES 2015-2018. Journal of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics [under review].

Ohio State University:

• Dunn, S. B., Lu, S. V., Slesnick, N., Kennel, J., Garner, J., & Hatsu, I. E. (2025). Eating to survive: A mixed methods study of perceived food environment and food choice among youth experiencing homelessness. Appetite [under review].

Louisiana State University:

• Greig, C., & McKinley, E. M. (2025). Mood-related side effects of hormonal birth control in college women: A cross-sectional study. MSI Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (MSIJMR) [under review].

University of Kentucky:

• Brown, J., Maksi, S., Foreman, L., Potter Wright, A., Rossi, J., & Gustafson, A. Community and clinic partnerships to improve health and farmer impact in food is medicine. Nutrients [under review].

University of Tennessee:

• Iddrisu, S., Conrad, K., Franck, K.,Riggsbee, K. (2025). Healing Through Food: Exploring Needs, Barriers, and Opportunities for Extension-Based Nutrition Education Targeting Adults in Drug Recovery Journal of Human Sciences and Extension. [under review].  

Texas A&M:

• Rogus, S., Alfaro Hudak, K., Ademu, L. O., Venkatesh, S., Laguros, M., Racine, E.F. (Under Review). Development and Evaluation Protocol of a Nutrition Education Program for Emerging Adults. JMIR Research Protocols.
• Alfaro Hudak, K. M., Ademu, L. O., Hess, J., Racine, E. F. Diet Quality and Metabolic Syndrome Among Emerging Adults. (Under Review). American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Published Abstracts and Presentations at Professional Conferences

American Society for Nutrition Annual Conferences (2025):

1. Winn, C., Ademu, L., Barr-Porter, M., Brenes, P., Brown, O., Byrd-Bredbenner, C., Greene, G., Groene, L., Kattelmann, K., Mathews, A., Morrell, J., Olfert, M., Shelnutt, K., Colby, S., & Dhillon, J. (2025). College health interventions improve fruit/vegetable intake and meal planning agency in undergraduate students. Current Developments in Nutrition, 9, 106343. (Poster presentation, Orlando, FL).
2. Samuel, S., Mathews, R., Komakech, J., & Yang, M. (2025). Association between household food security, dietary quality and breastfeeding duration: An analysis of NHANES 2015-2018. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 125(10), A93. (Poster presentation, Orlando, FL).
3. Nsubuga, E. J., Mathews, R., Pylate, L., & Komakech, J. (2025). Factors associated with anemia among children aged 6-59 months in Busoga Region, Uganda: A community based cross-sectional study. (Poster presentation, Orlando, FL).
4. Dave, J. C., Slesnick, N., & Hatsu, I. E. (2025). Impact of maternal substance use on food security and nutritional risk in children of homeless young mothers. (Oral presentation, Orlando, FL).
5. Dave, J. C., Slesnick, N., & Hatsu, I. E. (2025). Maternal substance use is associated with child food security status among homeless young mothers and their children. Current Developments in Nutrition, 9(2), 106232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2025.106232 (Poster presentation, Orlando, FL).
6. Dualle, M., & Hatsu, I. E. (2025). Bridging gaps: How food environment perceptions and mobility shape food security for African immigrants. Current Developments in Nutrition, 9(2), 106261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2025.106261 (American Society for Nutrition Annual Conference, March, poster presentation).
7. Barr-Porter, M., & Winn, C. (2025). College health interventions improve fruit/vegetable intake and meal planning agency in undergraduate students. (Poster presentation, American Society for Nutrition Annual Conference, May 31-June 3, Orlando, FL).
8. Rabbani, E., Ani, O., Adepoju, A., & Dhillon, J. (2025). Association of diet quality with meal-related habits and lifestyle factors in young to middle-aged adults. (Poster presentation, American Society for Nutrition Annual Conference, Orlando, FL).

University of New Hampshire Undergraduate Research Conference (2025):

1. Dempsey, A., & Morrell, J. S. (2025). Examining nutrients of concern, weight-related drivers, and eating competence within collegiate male athletes. (Poster presentation, Durham, NH).

2. Kamis, M., & Morrell, J. S. (2025). Examining the relationship between skin carotenoids and bone health in young adults. (Oral presentation and poster, Durham, NH).

3. Lessard, N., & Morrell, J. S. (2025). How does mineral intake relate to the incidence of metabolic syndrome in young adults? (Poster presentation, Durham, NH).

Food and Nutrition Conference Expo (2025):

1. Quick, V., Panchal, P., Golem, D., Phillips, S., Chamberlin, B., & Byrd-Bredbenner, C. (2025). Nutrition counselor virtual reality simulations for dietetic students: Field test results. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 125(1), A40. (Poster presentation, Nashville, TN).

2. Rodriguez, A., Lewis, L. A., & McKinley, E. M. (October 2025). Food security and awareness of the campus health environment: Investigating college students' perspectives. (Poster presentation, Nashville, TN).

American College Health Association Annual Meeting (2025):

1. McKinley, E. M., & Bosch, C. B. (May 29-30, 2025). The experience of college life and the challenges faced by students with food sensitivities in adhering to dietary guidelines despite prevalence of gastrointestinal problems. (Poster presentation, New Orleans, LA).

2. Lewis, L. A., & McKinley, E. M. (May 29-30, 2025). Combining a recipe-based intervention with participatory mapping as a method of assessing campus-level food and nutrition security. (Poster presentation, New Orleans, LA).

Additional Conference Presentations:

1. Yang, M., Ou, T. S., Wong, S. W., Yuan, J., & Lin, H. C. (2025). Association between types of ENDS and urinary cotinine level among U.S. youth who exclusively use ENDS. (Poster presentation, Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Annual Meeting, March 12-15, New Orleans, LA).
2. Yang, M., Ou, T. S., Wong, S. W., Yuan, J., & Lin, H. C. (2025). Association between ENDS characteristics and urinary cotinine level among U.S. youth who exclusively use ENDS. (Poster presentation, American Academy of Health Behavior Annual Meeting, March 16-19, San Diego, CA).
3. Yang, M., Wong, S. W., Ou, T. S., Yuan, J., & Lin, H. C. (2025). The association between nicotine concentration in ENDS products and urinary cotinine level among U.S. adult ENDS users. (Poster presentation, American Academy of Health Behavior Annual Meeting, March 16-19, San Diego, CA).
4. Greig, C., & McKinley, E. M. (April 25, 2025). Hormonal contraception and college students: An analysis of mood swings and side effects. (Poster presentation, LSU Discover Day, Baton Rouge, LA).
5. Samuel, S., & Mathews, R. (February 2025). Association between household food security, dietary quality and breastfeeding duration: An analysis of NHANES 2015-2018. (Poster presentation, Mississippi State University Graduate Symposium, MS).
6. Samuel, S., Mathews, R., & Komakech, J. (October 2024). Association between food security, dietary quality and diagnosed periodontitis: Analysis of NHANES 2015-2018. (Poster presentation, Mississippi State University Graduate Symposium, MS).
7. Wong, S. W., Yang, M., Ou, T. S., Yuan, J., & Lin, H. C. (November 2025). Workplace violence mediated the associations between occupation types and smoking among female workers in Taiwan. (Poster presentation, 56th Asia Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health Conference, Chiang Rai, Thailand).
8. Iddrisu, S., Conrad, K., Franck, K., Riggsbee, K.Assessing the Needs and Barriers for Nutrition Education Programs for Adults in Drug Recovery (November 2025). American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, Washington DC. 
9. Riggsbee, K.,Conrad, K., Franck, K., Ward, J. Nourish Recovery: Development of a Nutrition Education Extension Program for Adults with Substance Use Disorder (February 2025). University of Tennessee Grand Challenge Summit, Murfreesboro, TN. 
10. Alfaro Hudak, K. M., Ademu, L. O., Hess, J., Racine, E. F. Diet Quality and Metabolic Syndrome Among Emerging Adults. (2025). APHA Annual Meeting and Expo-Washington, DC. (Oral)
11. Rogus, S., Laguros, M., Venkatesh, S., Ademu, L.O., Alfaro Hudak, K. A., Racine, E. F. Development and Evaluation of a Nutrition Education Program for Emerging Adults. APHA Annual Meeting and Expo, Washington, DC. (Oral)

Theses and Dissertations

University of New Hampshire:

• Almeida, A. (2025). The relationship between metabolic syndrome and meal skipping in college students. Unpublished Master's thesis, University of New Hampshire.

Ohio State University:

• Dave, J. C., Kennel, J., Odei, J. B., & Hatsu, I. E. (2025). Impact of maternal substance use on food security and nutrition outcomes in homeless young mothers and their children. Master's thesis, The Ohio State University.

Invited and Other Professional Activities

Paper Under Preparation:

• Dave, J. C., Kennel, J., Odei, J. B., & Hatsu, I. E. (2026). Maternal substance use and child nutritional risk: A study of homeless mothers and their children. Manuscript in preparation for submission to Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition.

Abstracts Accepted for Future Conferences

American Academy of Health Behavior Annual Meetings (2026):

• Wong, S. W., Yang, M., Ou, T. S., Lin, H. C. The association between depressive symptoms and substance use among early adolescents in Taiwan: The mediating role of online fear of missing out (FOMO). [Accepted]
• Yang, M., & Lin, H. C. Association between E-cigarette product characteristics and dependence among U.S. adults who exclusively use E-cigarettes. [Accepted]
• Yuan, J., Ou, T. S., Wong, S. W., Yang, M., & Lin, H. C. Association between early childcare precarity and maternal heavy alcohol use: Evidence from a national longitudinal study. [Accepted]