RCMI Research Project #1 – Megan Knapp
Project title: Evaluation of New Orleans Healthy Kids’ Beverage Menu Ordinance
PI: Megan Knapp
Project Narrative:
Healthy default beverage (HDB) policies for children’s meals in restaurants hold promise as a population-based approach to address childhood obesity, but there is a lack of rigorous research on HBD policy outcomes and their implementation process. This research examines the first of such HDB-policies mandated in the Southern US (New Orleans, LA), a region disproportionately affected by childhood obesity and health disparities among minority children. This study uses menu assessments, online surveys, interviews, and document reviews to examine the effectiveness of the policy in improving restaurant beverage offerings for children; examines changes in sugar-sweetened beverages purchased with restaurant meals; and identifies factors that impact policy implementation, maintenance, and equitable reach to inform future nutrition environment-related policies.