Melissa N Laska
Biographic Data
| ID | 4029022 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Melissa N Laska |
| GIVEN NAMES | Melissa N |
| FAMILY NAME | Laska |
| SIGNATURE | LASKA M N |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Minnesota |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3836-0269 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 56 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 30 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 56 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Cross-Sectional Age Group Comparison of Experiences, Barriers, and Trade-Offs in Minnesota’s Emergency Food System
The emergency food system, including food banks, food pantries and shelves, and meal sites, is a critical part of the nutrition safety net. Age is an important factor that may impact the experiences of emergency food system shoppers. Despite this, there are a dearth of studies quantitatively comparing the experiences of households with and without the presence of an older adult in the household accessing this resource. We aim to fill this gap by …
Fulfilling the hunger”: A qualitative study to understand the etiology of binge eating in adolescents experiencing food insecurity
Effect of Delaying High School Start Time on Teen Physical Activity, Screen Use, and Sports and Extracurricular Activity Participation: Results From START
BACKGROUND: We aimed to characterize relationships between delayed high school start time policy, which is known to lengthen school night sleep duration, and patterns in activity outcomes: physical activity, non-school electronic screen time (non-schoolwork), and sports and extracurricular activity among adolescents. METHODS: We used data from the START study, a multi-site evaluation of a natural experiment, assessing the effects of a school star…
New and Recurring Food Insecurity During and After the Covid-19 Pandemic
This survey study examines the prevalence of new and recurring household food insecurity among US households during and after the COVID-19 pandemic
A formative study of grandparent caregivers' grandchild feeding responsibilities and practices
Conducting industry informant interviews to advance healthy food retail initiatives: Challenges, opportunities, and lessons
Retail food environments influence dietary health, yet efforts to improve them have had limited success. Recruiting informants from the food and beverage retail industry for insider information has been challenging due to the sensitivity of inquiries and proprietary protections. Moreover, which recruitment approaches are successful are seldom disseminated. This paper aimed to bridge this gap by detailing the complexities of recruiting and intervi…
“Games being played”: A US exploration of market strategies used by the beverage industry as experienced by food retailers
BACKGROUND: The beverage industry's role in undermining nutrition-related population health is a growing global concern. Industry strategies that affect policy, science, and public opinion are increasingly exposed. However, those used in the retail space-known as market strategies-remain largely unspecified. The purpose of this study was to uncover the market strategies beverage companies use with US retailers to secure their influence and contro…
Adverse childhood experiences and food insecurity in emerging adulthood: Findings from the EAT 2010–2018 study
Objective: Low childhood socio-economic status (SES) and adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are associated with poor health outcomes in adulthood. Determining how ACE may be linked to food insecurity among young people from socio-economically diverse households can inform health-protective strategies. This study examined if ACE are associated with food insecurity during the transition to adulthood and investigated prevalence differences across S…
Parent meal self-efficacy and practices in households with healthy home food environments in the face of economic hardship
The impact of delayed school start time on adolescent beverage consumption, findings from the START study
Increasing Healthy Food Access for Low-Income Communities: Protocol of the Healthy Community Stores Case Study Project
Improving healthy food access in low-income communities continues to be a public health challenge. One strategy for improving healthy food access has been to introduce community food stores, with the mission of increasing healthy food access; however, no study has explored the experiences of different initiatives and models in opening and sustaining healthy food stores. This study used a case study approach to understand the experiences of health…
Associations between shopping patterns, dietary behaviours and geographic information system-assessed store accessibility among small food store customers
Objective: To examine associations between geographic information systems (GIS)-assessed accessibility to small food stores, shopping patterns and dietary behaviours among small food store customers. Design: Residential addresses and customer shopping patterns (frequency of shopping, and previous purchase of fruits and vegetables) were gathered through customer intercept surveys. Addresses were geocoded, and GIS-assessed distance and driving time…
Adolescent-Reported Latino Fathers’ Food Parenting Practices and Family Meal Frequency Are Associated with Better Adolescent Dietary Intake
Most studies of food-related parenting practices, parental meal involvement, and adolescent dietary intake have focused on maternal influences; studies of paternal influences, particularly among marginalized groups, are lacking. This study examined lower-income, Latino fathers' food parenting practices and involvement in planning meals, buying/preparing foods, and family meal frequency, separately and in combination, to identify relationships wit…
The Availability of Culturally Preferred Fruits, Vegetables and Whole Grains in Corner Stores and Non-Traditional Food Stores
Chronic health inequities for communities of color is partially attributed to a lack of healthy preferred food access. This manuscript explores whether corner stores and non-traditional food stores stock fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods that the area cultural communities may prefer as part of complying with a local ordinance. This exploratory analysis identified corner and non-traditional food stores located in immigrant populations of co…
Qualitative perspectives of the North Carolina healthy food small retailer program among customers in participating stores located in food deserts
Findings can inform future healthy corner store initiatives in terms of framing a rationale for funding or policies by focusing on increased food access among vulnerable populations
Small food store retailers’ views on healthy food retail policy in response to a local staple foods ordinance
Objective: Our objectives were to explore attitudes regarding food retail policy and government regulation among managers of small food stores and examine whether manager views changed due to the 2014 Minneapolis Staple Foods Ordinance, a city policy requiring retailers to stock specific healthy products. Design: Manager interviewer-administered surveys were used to assess views on food retail policy four times from 2014 to 2017. We examined base…
Longitudinal Fruit and Vegetable Sales in Small Food Retailers: Response to a Novel Local Food Policy and Variation by Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status
Small food retailers, including corner/convenience stores, pharmacies, gas-marts, and dollar stores, have historically stocked limited fruits and vegetables, though this may be changing. We examined increases in sales, customer purchasing, and stocking of fresh and/or frozen fruits and vegetables in small food stores over time and in relation to: (a) a local food policy (the Minneapolis Staple Foods Ordinance) and (b) neighborhood socioeconomic s…
Store and neighborhood differences in retailer compliance with a local staple foods ordinance
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02774330, retrospectively registered May 17, 2016
Best Practices Among Food-Based Community Organizations: A Qualitative Analysis
Food-based community organizations (FBCO) have positive impacts on community health, yet little is known about best practices that facilitate organization sustainability. To identify strategies among FBCOs used to facilitate member engagement/retention, reach future members/participants, and support organizational growth, key informants from four FBCOs in Texas participated in in-depth interviews. Semi-structured interviews were informed by groun…
Food Insecurity, Diet Quality, Home Food Availability, and Health Risk Behaviors Among Emerging Adults: Findings From the EAT 2010–2018 Study
Objectives. To examine emerging adults’ experiences of food insecurity in relation to measures of diet quality, food literacy, home food availability, and health behaviors. Methods. We used EAT 2010–2018 (Eating and Activity over Time) study data on 1568 participants who completed surveys as adolescents in 2009 to 2010 and follow-up surveys in 2017 to 2018 (mean age = 22.0 ±2.0 years; 58% female). At baseline, participants were recruited from 20 …
Do young adults value sustainable diet practices? Continuity in values from adolescence to adulthood and linkages to dietary behaviour
Objective: To describe continuity over time in reports of valuing sustainable diet practices and investigate relationships between values, household meal behaviours and dietary intake. Design: Observational study. Participant ratings of how important it is for food to be produced as organic, not processed, locally grown and not GM were categorized to represent whether they valued (very/somewhat important) or did not value (a little/not at all imp…
Factor Analysis Test of an Ecological Model of Physical Activity Correlates
Objectives: The fit of measured variables into a social-ecological model of correlates of physical activity is rarely tested. In this study, we examined the factor structure of correlates of moderate/vigorous physical activity (MVPA) within a hypothesized social-ecological model. Methods: We measured 46 possible personal, social and environmental correlates of MVPA in 2779 adolescents participating in the Project EAT-2010 study. Confirmatory (CFA…
Sleep indices and eating behaviours in young adults: Findings from Project EAT
Objective To test the associations between sleep indices and eating behaviours in young adults, a group vulnerable to suboptimal sleep. Design Cross-sectional analysis of survey measures of sleep (i.e. time in bed, variability, timing and quality) and dietary patterns (i.e. breakfast skipping, eating at fast-food restaurants, consumption of sports and energy drinks, and sugar-free, sugar-sweetened and caffeinated beverages). Setting Minneapolis/S…
A non-invasive assessment of skin carotenoid status through reflection spectroscopy is a feasible, reliable and potentially valid measure of fruit and vegetable consumption in a diverse community samp…
Objective To assess the feasibility, reliability and validity of reflection spectroscopy (RS) to assess skin carotenoids in a racially diverse sample. Design Study 1 was a cross-sectional study of corner store customers ( n 479) who completed the National Cancer Institute Fruit and Vegetable Screener as well as RS measures. Feasibility was assessed by examining the time it took to complete three RS measures, reliability was assessed by examining …
Agreements between small food store retailers and their suppliers: Incentivizing unhealthy foods and beverages in four urban settings
Food Insecurity, Diet Quality, Home Food Availability, and Health Risk Behaviors Among Emerging Adults: Findings From the EAT 2010–2018 Study
Objectives. To examine emerging adults’ experiences of food insecurity in relation to measures of diet quality, food literacy, home food availability, and health behaviors. Methods. We used EAT 2010–2018 (Eating and Activity over Time) study data on 1568 participants who completed surveys as adolescents in 2009 to 2010 and follow-up surveys in 2017 to 2018 (mean age = 22.0 ±2.0 years; 58% female). At baseline, participants were recruited from 20 …
Convenience Stores Surrounding Urban Schools: An Assessment of Healthy Food Availability, Advertising, and Product Placement
Millennials at work: Workplace environments of young adults and associations with weight-related health
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to describe the workplace environments of young adults and examine associations with diet, physical activity (PA) and body mass index (BMI). METHODS: Cross-sectional data were collected (2008-2009) from 1538 employed young adult participants in Project EAT (Eating and Activity among Teens and Young Adults), a diverse population-based sample. Survey measures assessed height, weight, diet, moderate-to-vigor…
Disparities in Weight and Weight Behaviors by Sexual Orientation in College Students
Objectives. We assessed disparities in weight and weight-related behaviors among college students by sexual orientation and gender. Methods. We performed cross-sectional analyses of pooled annual data (2007–2011; n = 33 907) from students participating in a Minnesota state-based survey of 40 two- and four-year colleges and universities. Sexual orientation included heterosexual, gay or lesbian, bisexual, unsure, and discordant heterosexual (hetero…
Secular Trends in Fast-Food Restaurant Use Among Adolescents and Maternal Caregivers From 1999 to 2010
Objectives. We examined trends from 1999 to 2010 in adolescents’ self-reported fast-food restaurant use alongside maternal reports of fast-food consumption and purchasing from restaurants for family meals. Methods. Middle- and high-school student participants from Minneapolis–St Paul, Minnesota, represented diverse ethnic/racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. Adolescents completed classroom-administered surveys and maternal caregivers responded b…
Parent meal self-efficacy and practices in households with healthy home food environments in the face of economic hardship
Agreements between small food store retailers and their suppliers: Incentivizing unhealthy foods and beverages in four urban settings
Minimum Stocking Requirements for Retailers in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children: Disparities Across US States
Objectives. To examine state variation in minimum stocking requirements for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)–authorized small food retailers. Methods. We obtained minimum stocking requirements for 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2017 from WIC Web pages or e-mail from the state WIC agency. We developed a coding protocol to compare minimum quantities and varieties required for 12 food and bever…
Understanding young adult physical activity, alcohol and tobacco use in community colleges and 4-year post-secondary institutions: A cross-sectional analysis of epidemiological surveillance data
These findings illustrate links between leading risk behaviors. Interventions targeting multiple risk behaviors among young adults may warrant further consideration. Overall, future research is needed to support and inform young adult health promotion efforts that may be implemented in a wide array of post-secondary institutions
Neighbourhood food environments: Are they associated with adolescent dietary intake, food purchases and weight status
Objective To examine neighbourhood food environments, adolescent nutrition and weight status. Design Cross-sectional, observational study. Setting Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan region, Minnesota, USA. Subjects A total of 349 adolescents were recruited to the study. Participants completed 24 h dietary recalls and had their weight and height measured. They also reported demographic information and other diet-related behaviours. Geographic Infor…
Healthy food availability in small urban food stores: A comparison of four US cities
Objective Given that small food stores may be important retail food sources in low-income urban communities, our objective was to examine cross-city comparative data documenting healthy food availability within such facilities, particularly those located in low-income areas and nearby schools. Design Food stores in Baltimore, Maryland; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota; Oakland, California; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania were selected for assessmen…
Dietary patterns and home food availability during emerging adulthood: Do they differ by living situation
Objective The objective of the present work was to cross-sectionally examine and compare dietary behaviours and home food environments by young adults’ living situation. Design Using data from Project EAT (Eating Among Teens)-II, a large diverse youth cohort originally sampled in Minnesota, linear regression was used to examine self-reported meal frequency, dietary intake and home food availability outcomes by living situation (i.e. living with p…
The co‐occurrence of obesity, elevated blood pressure, and acanthosis nigricans among American Indian school children: Identifying individual heritage and environment‐level correlates
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence and explore the social and cultural etiologic roots of weight status, blood pressure, and acanthosis nigricans among American Indian children on a reservation in South Dakota. METHODS: This observational study was conducted in 26 schools from 1998 to 2002 and included 5,422 observations representing 3,841 children, ages 3 to 19. Trained staff measured height, weight, blood pressure, and assessed the presence …
Situational characteristics of young adults’ eating occasions: A real-time data collection using Personal Digital Assistants
Objective To examine (i) situational characteristics of young adults’ eating occasions, including away-from-home eating, social influences and multi-tasking, and (ii) how these characteristics are associated with specific foods/beverages consumed. Design Participants logged numerous characteristics of eating occasions ( n 1237) in real time over 7 d. Setting Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area (Minnesota, USA). Subjects Forty-eight participant…
Convenience Stores Surrounding Urban Schools: An Assessment of Healthy Food Availability, Advertising, and Product Placement
Small Retailer Perspectives of the 2009 Women, Infants and Children Program Food Package Changes
This research provides vendor perspectives on the 2009 WIC policy changes and may enhance policy implementation directed at increasing healthy food availability, particularly in urban communities
Socioeconomic Disparities in Emerging Adult Weight and Weight Behaviors
Unique relationships exist between socioeconomic indicators and emerging adult health behaviors. Additional research is needed to understand financial context among emerging adults
Work Hours and Perceived Time Barriers to Healthful Eating Among Young Adults
Findings indicate that intervention strategies, ideally those addressing time burden, are needed to promote healthful eating among young, working adults
Urban v . suburban perceptions of the neighbourhood food environment as correlates of adolescent food purchasing
Objective To assess the relationship between adolescent perception of time to walk to neighbourhood food retail outlets and purchasing of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), fast and convenience food items, and to test for differences by urban v . suburban environment. Design Cross-sectional observational study. Setting Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, Minnesota, USA. Subjects Adolescents from two studies completed survey-based measures on perceptions…
Does involvement in food preparation track from adolescence to young adulthood and is it associated with better dietary quality? Findings from a 10-year longitudinal study
Objectives To examine whether involvement in food preparation tracks over time, between adolescence (15–18 years), emerging adulthood (19–23 years) and the mid-to-late twenties (24–28 years), as well as 10-year longitudinal associations between home food preparation, dietary quality and meal patterning. Design Population-based, longitudinal cohort study. Setting Participants were originally sampled from Minnesota public secondary schools (USA). S…
Stocking characteristics and perceived increases in sales among small food store managers/owners associated with the introduction of new food products approved by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Pr…
Objective The present study assessed the impact of the 2009 food packages mandated by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) on perceived sales, product selection and stocking habits of small, WIC-authorized food stores. Design A cross-sectional study involving in-depth interviews with store managers/owners. Setting Small, WIC-authorized food stores in eight major cities in the USA. Subjects Fifty-two st…
Lessons Learned From Small Store Programs to Increase Healthy Food Access
This information provides guidance to researchers and practitioners wishing to design, implement, and evaluate small store interventions
Social Norms and Dietary Behaviors among Young Adults
Young adults' dietary behaviors appear to reflect their perceptions of normative behavior, particularly among friends
Impact of Cooking and Home Food Preparation Interventions Among Adults: Outcomes and Implications for Future Programs
Secular Trends in Fast-Food Restaurant Use Among Adolescents and Maternal Caregivers From 1999 to 2010
Objectives. We examined trends from 1999 to 2010 in adolescents’ self-reported fast-food restaurant use alongside maternal reports of fast-food consumption and purchasing from restaurants for family meals. Methods. Middle- and high-school student participants from Minneapolis–St Paul, Minnesota, represented diverse ethnic/racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. Adolescents completed classroom-administered surveys and maternal caregivers responded b…
A 2-year young adult obesity prevention trial in the US: Process evaluation results
Our objective was to conduct a process evaluation of the CHOICES (Choosing Healthy Options in College Environments and Settings) study, a large, randomized, controlled trial designed to prevent unhealthy weight gain in young adults (aged 18-35) attending 2-year community colleges in the USA. The 24-month intervention consisted of participation in an academic course and a social networking and support website. Among intervention participants, comp…
College Women's Weight-related Behavior Profiles Differ by Sexual Identity
Future interventions should consider the diversity of behavioral patterns across sexual orientation to more effectively address weight-related behavioral disparities
Sports and energy drink consumption are linked to health-risk behaviours among young adults
Objective National data for the USA show increases in sports and energy drink consumption over the past decade with the largest increases among young adults aged 20–34 years. The present study aimed to identify sociodemographic factors and health-risk behaviours associated with sports and energy drink consumption among young adults. Design Cross-sectional analysis of survey data from the third wave of a cohort study (Project EAT-III: Eating and A…
How we eat what we eat: Identifying meal routines and practices most strongly associated with healthy and unhealthy dietary factors among young adults
Objective (i) To examine associations between young adults’ meal routines and practices (e.g. food preparation, meal skipping, eating on the run) and key dietary indicators (fruit/vegetable, fast-food and sugar-sweetened beverage intakes) and (ii) to develop indices of protective and risky meal practices most strongly associated with diet. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, Minnesota (USA). Subjects A d…
Disparities in Weight and Weight Behaviors by Sexual Orientation in College Students
Objectives. We assessed disparities in weight and weight-related behaviors among college students by sexual orientation and gender. Methods. We performed cross-sectional analyses of pooled annual data (2007–2011; n = 33 907) from students participating in a Minnesota state-based survey of 40 two- and four-year colleges and universities. Sexual orientation included heterosexual, gay or lesbian, bisexual, unsure, and discordant heterosexual (hetero…
Longitudinal social networks impacts on weight and weight-related behaviors assessed using mobile-based ecological momentary assessments: Study Protocols for the SPARC study
Findings are intended to guide the development of more effective interventions to enhance behaviors among college students that protect against weight gain during college
Successful customer intercept interview recruitment outside small and midsize urban food retailers
Customer intercept interviews can be successfully used to recruit diverse samples of customers at small and midsize food retailers. Future community-based studies using customer intercept interviews should collect data sufficient to report response rates and consider potential differences between the racial/ethnic composition of the recruited sample and the target population
Millennials at work: Workplace environments of young adults and associations with weight-related health
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to describe the workplace environments of young adults and examine associations with diet, physical activity (PA) and body mass index (BMI). METHODS: Cross-sectional data were collected (2008-2009) from 1538 employed young adult participants in Project EAT (Eating and Activity among Teens and Young Adults), a diverse population-based sample. Survey measures assessed height, weight, diet, moderate-to-vigor…
Medicine (47 works) · Environmental health (41 works) · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet (38 works) · Business (22 works) · Psychology (22 works) · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations (18 works) · Gerontology (18 works) · Demography (16 works) · Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling (14 works) · Marketing (14 works)