Public Health Nutrition

What is public health nutrition?

Public health nutrition is an area of public health which focuses on the application of food and nutrition knowledge, research and policy to promote health and prevent disease for population groups. This encompasses local, state, national and global levels and includes the design, implementation and evaluation of public health programs in nutrition.

Past and current projects and activities involving public health nutrition:

  • Breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and practices among mothers and community health workers in rural Kenya
  • National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) projects:
    • Differences in nutritional intake and bone health among adults with and without Celiac Disease
    • Diet quality and nutritional intake differences among premenopausal women with and without uterine fibroids
    • Consumption of non-cow’s milk beverages and 25-hydroxyvitamin D status among U.S. children
  • Examining the individual, familial, and environmental factors associated with preschooler nutrition and physical activity
  • Maternal and infant vitamin D supplementation beliefs and practices of women attending Women, Infant, and Children Clinic (WIC) in Northern Virginia
  • The Mason Undergraduate Nutrition for Campus Health (MUNCH) research project