Karen L Webb

Karen L Webb
University of California, Berkeley | UCB · Nutrition Policy Institute

PhD, MPH

About

135
Publications
45,599
Reads
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5,513
Citations
Additional affiliations
August 2007 - January 2015
University of California System
Position
  • Senior Researcher

Publications

Publications (135)
Article
Full-text available
This cross-sectional study was part of a larger evaluation of a fruit and vegetable (FV) incentive program for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants in California. We examined the price differences in FV to explore whether these could help explain a previously observed lack of effect of the incentive program on FV consumptio...
Article
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Schools are a critical setting for improving child nutrition and food security and preventing obesity in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture mandates that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education, known as CalFresh Healthy Living (CFHL) in California, implements obesity prevention efforts that utilize multicomponent...
Article
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Background Within the context of high childhood obesity prevalence, there is a concern that community efforts intended to reduce childhood obesity may lead to unintended adverse outcomes. Objective This analysis examined relationships between community programs, policies, and environmental changes (CPPs) for obesity prevention with unhealthy dieti...
Article
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Objective To explore California local health department leaders’ experiences planning, implementing, and evaluating nutrition promotion and obesity prevention programs for low-income families. Design Qualitative, cross-sectional study using semi-structured in-depth interviews and panel interviews conducted in 2015–2016. Setting California local h...
Article
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Background: A dietary screener questionnaire (DSQ) was used to assess dietary outcomes among children in the Healthy Communities Study (HCS), a study of the relationships between programs and policies to prevent child obesity and child diet, physical activity and weight outcomes. Methods: To compare dietary intake estimates derived from the DSQ...
Article
Introduction This manuscript describes the prevalence and attributes of community programmes and policies (CPPs) to address childhood obesity documented as occurring in 130 diverse US communities. Methods Key informant interviews (N = 1420) and document abstraction were used to identify and characterize CPPs to promote physical activity and health...
Article
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Food policy councils (FPCs) are collaboratives that work to strengthen food systems. Over 300 FPCs exist in the United States, Canada, and Tribal Nations. In 2015, we surveyed the types of initia­tives FPCs undertook and identified food sector targets and domains of potential impact in an effort to inform comprehensive FPC impact assessments. FPCs...
Article
BACKGROUND Our objective was to examine the association between school wellness committees and implementation of nutrition wellness policies and children's weight status and obesity‐related dietary outcomes. METHODS A cross‐sectional study was conducted of 4790 children aged 4‐15 years recruited from 130 communities in the Healthy Communities Stud...
Article
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Background: Studies of potential adverse effects of traffic related air pollution (TRAP) on allergic disease have had mixed findings. Nutritional studies to examine whether fish oil supplementation may protect against development of allergic disease through their anti-inflammatory actions have also had mixed findings. Extremely few studies to date...
Article
Background Research on the association between school meal consumption and overall dietary intake post-Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act implementation is limited. Objective This study examines the association between frequency of participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs and children’s dietary intakes. Design The Health...
Article
Food insecurity among college students has become a public health concern, yet few studies have examined the sample prevalence in a statewide public university system. We determined the sample prevalence of food insecurity and associated factors among students in a large California university system. In Spring 2015, a sample of graduate and undergr...
Article
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Multifaceted community interventions directed at improving food environments are emerging, but their impact on dietary change and obesity prevalence has not been adequately documented. The Healthy Communities Study (HCS) is seeking to identify characteristics and combinations of programs and policies that are associated with children's diets and ob...
Article
Fewer than 10% of US children and adolescents consume the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables (F/V). The US Department of Agriculture's Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is intended to increase child F/V consumption by funding low-income schools to distribute free fresh F/V snacks outside of school mealtimes. The evaluation assessed...
Article
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Background/objectives: Consumption of oily fish more than once per week has been shown to improve cognitive outcomes in children. However, it is unknown whether similar benefits can be achieved by long-term omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. The objective was to investigate the effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation during the first 5 years...
Article
Objective Early life is an important period for determining future risk of cardiovascular disease. Carotid extra-medial thickness is a novel noninvasive measure that estimates arterial adventitial thickness, information concerning vascular health not captured by assessment of arterial intima-media thickness alone. We sought to determine whether fet...
Article
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To investigate the relationship between breastfeeding and snoring in childhood. In a cohort of children with a family history of asthma who were recruited antenatally we prospectively recorded data on infant feeding practices throughout the first year of life. Snoring status and witnessed sleep apnea were measured at age 8 years by parent-completed...
Conference Paper
Introduction: Under-consumption of fruits and vegetables is common among children, particularly those from lower-income households. To address this concern, the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) distributes free fruits and vegetable snacks outside school mealtimes in schools with high proportions of low-income students. FFVP aims to inc...
Article
A national online survey of 137 US food banks was conducted along with in-depth interviews with staff at 6 California food banks to assess the characteristics of their organizational culture, including the extent to which they focused on nutritional quality of emergency food. The majority of US food banks reported a substantial level of commitment...
Article
A nonprofit policy advocacy organization and an academic research center convened a one-day meeting of 20 key stakeholders from the emergency food network (EFN) to develop policy and practice recommendations that were vltimately crafted by the advocate-researcher team and aimed at improving the nutritional quality of emergency food. The convening w...
Article
The study objective was to examine trends in the nutritional quality of emergency foods. Inventory data were obtained from 6 California food banks for 2007 to 2010. We found a substantial increase over this period in fresh fruit and vegetable donations, which, by 2010, comprised over half of the weight of total inventory. Opportunities for further...
Article
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Objective: We hypothesized that early weight gain would be associated with incident obesity, higher blood pressure, systemic inflammation, and arterial wall thickening in later childhood. Methods: A longitudinal birth cohort was recruited antenatally from 2 maternity hospitals in Sydney, Australia, between September 1997 and December 1999. Three...
Article
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Less than 11% of young school-aged children eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, despite abundant evidence that these foods protect against many types of cancer, heart disease and diabetes, and when combined with other dietary changes can help protect against obesity. In 2005, California became the first state to address the availa...
Article
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Recent research has shown that the pattern of change over time, or trajectory, of body mass index (BMI) varies among children. However, the factors that underlie the heterogeneity in these trajectories remain largely unexplored. Our aim was to use a growth mixture model to empirically identify classes of BMI trajectories (from birth to 11.5 years)...
Article
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: It has been postulated that a higher dairy consumption may affect blood pressure regulation. The aim of this study was to examine the association between dairy consumption and blood pressure in mid-childhood. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Subjects (n ¼ 335) were participants of a birth cohort at high risk of asthma with information on di...
Article
To examine the association between intake of dairy products and indicators of diet quality among a sample of Australian children. Three 24-hour recalls were collected from 222 children aged 8-10 years living in western Sydney. Analysis of covariance was used to examine differences in mean intakes of foods and nutrients among 3 dairy consumption gro...
Article
Structural modification of the arterial adventitia may be an early event in atherosclerosis. Carotid extra-medial thickness is a new measure of arterial adventitial thickness. We examined the association of cardiovascular risk factors with extra-medial thickness, in childhood. Carotid extra-medial thickness was assessed by high-resolution ultrasoun...
Article
Impaired fetal growth is an independent cardiovascular risk factor and is associated with arterial wall thickening in children. No preventive strategy has been identified. We sought to determine whether dietary ω-3 fatty acid supplementation during early childhood prevents the association between impaired fetal growth and carotid arterial wall thic...
Article
It has been postulated that a higher dairy consumption may affect blood pressure regulation. The aim of this study was to examine the association between dairy consumption and blood pressure in mid-childhood. Subjects (n = 335) were participants of a birth cohort at high risk of asthma with information on diet at 18 months and blood pressure at 8 y...
Article
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The effect of breastfeeding duration on subsequent asthma and allergy remains the subject of much controversy. To investigate whether differences in study design or disease-related exposure modification were the cause of the differences in study findings. The data from two cohorts, the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study (CAPS) from Australia and the...
Article
Introduction: Impaired fetal growth is an independent cardiovascular risk factor, and is associated with early arterial wall thickening in young children. No preventive strategy has been identified. Hypothesis: That dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplementation during early childhood will prevent the association between impaired fetal growth and carot...
Article
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This study evaluated a calorie labeling intervention in Kaiser Permanente Hospital cafeterias. Three cafeteria conditions were no labeling; calorie and nutrient labeling on posters only; posters plus point-of-purchase menu board calorie labeling. More respon-dents noticed calorie information at poster plus menu board sites than at poster-only sites...
Article
This study examined food and beverage preferences of emergency food program (EFP) clients of the Food Bank of Central New York (Food Bank). Findings suggest that food pantry clients prefer to receive meat/poultry/fish, vegetables, and fruit over soda, candy, and snack foods. This new information supports the effort being made by the Food Bank to li...
Article
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Programs to address obesity are a high priority for public policy especially for young children. Research into dietary determinants of obesity is challenging but important for rational planning of interventions to prevent obesity, given that both diet and energy expenditure influence weight status. We investigated whether early life dietary factors...
Article
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Few longitudinal population-based cohort studies of older people have described dietary intakes over time. The objective of this study was to assess changes in the food and nutrient intake in a cohort of older Australians, using longitudinal data collected over 10 years. Population-based cohort of people aged 49 years and over at baseline (82% of t...
Conference Paper
In the midst of the obesity epidemic, Americans are eating one billion meals a week outside the home; a practice which is a likely contributor to the documented increase in daily calorie intake by adults. A pilot intervention was evaluated to assess the impact of menu labeling on Kaiser hospital cafeteria patron awareness, attitudes, and menu item...
Conference Paper
Reliance on food banks and other emergency food providers is increasing as unemployment rises in this stressful economic climate. Given the poor financial forecast, such reliance may be longer term, re-defining the need for so-called emergency food to meet nutritional needs beyond food sufficiency. In 2008, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, a Jew...
Article
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n-3 Fatty acid supplementation in adults results in cardiovascular benefits. However, the cardiovascular effects of n-3 supplementation in early childhood are unknown. The objective was to evaluate blood pressure (BP) and arterial structure and function in 8-y-old children who had participated in a randomized controlled trial of dietary n-3 and n-6...
Article
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To identify the types and quantities of 'extra' foods, or energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods, consumed by Australian adults, and assess their contribution to total energy and nutrient intakes. We used 24-h recall data from 10 851 adults, aged 19 years and over, who participated in the nationally representative 1995 National Nutrition Survey. 'Extra'...
Conference Paper
The California Legislature enacted legislation to establish the nation's first program earmarking funds to increase consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables (F/V) in the school breakfast program. In 2006-7, an extensive evaluation of the implementation of the California Fresh Start Program was conducted to determine the adequacy of the funding pr...
Article
Pediatric overweight has become the foremost public health issue for American youth. Rates of overweight (body mass index 95th percentile) for children and adolescents have increased more than for any other age group. Since the early 1970s, the prevalence of overweight has more than quadrupled among 6- to 11year-old children and more than tripled a...
Article
Allergen avoidance has been a major component of most programs for primary prevention of asthma and allergic diseases in childhood. As a part of the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study, families were provided with written and oral information on measures considered to be helpful in the primary prevention of allergic disease in high-risk infants. Diet...
Article
This study assesses the validity and reproducibility of a 145-item self-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in a representative older population aged 63 to 80. Semi-quantitative FFQs were completed by 89% of 3,654 residents attending a community-based eye study in Sydney, Australia. The FFQ's validity was assessed against three, four-da...
Article
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To measure the types and quantities of energy-dense, nutrient-poor 'extra' foods consumed by Australian children and adolescents and their contribution to total energy and nutrient intakes. We used data from 3007 children, aged 2-18 years, who participated in the nationally representative 1995 National Nutrition Survey. Intake was determined by 24-...
Article
Aim: To describe the diet of a sample of Australian children aged 16–24 months with regard to the amounts of foods and nutrients consumed. Methods: Cross-sectional data collected from participants in a five-year randomised trial of the primary prevention of asthma. Pregnant women with a family history of atopy were recruited from six hospital anten...
Article
The optimal method for conducting omega (n-)3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation trials in children is unknown. To assess the impact of n-3 and n-6 PUFA intake from the background diet on plasma levels of n-3 and n-6 PUFA in children aged 0-3 years, with and without n-3 supplementation. Subjects were randomised antenatally to receive...
Article
Aim: To compare two systems which classify energy-dense, nutrient-poor ‘extra’ foods which can be used to monitor the contribution of these foods in the diets of Australian children. The aim is to develop consistent criteria that may be used to monitor trends in the consumption of ‘extra’ foods in dietary surveys and, for research purposes, to exam...
Article
The Childhood Asthma Prevention Study was a randomized controlled trial conducted in children with a family history of asthma in whom omega-3 fatty acid supplementation and restriction of dietary omega-6 fatty acids did not prevent asthma, eczema, or atopy at age 5 years. We sought to examine the relation of all measures of omega-3 and omega-6 poly...
Article
Although longer duration of breastfeeding and later introduction of solid foods are both recommended for the prevention of asthma and allergic disease, evidence to support these recommendations is controversial. To examine the relation between infant feeding practices and the risk of asthma and allergic disease at age 5 years. A cohort of children...
Article
To document dietary intakes and food sources of fatty acids among older Australians. Design: Population-based survivor cohort. Two postcode areas in the Blue Mountains, West of Sydney, Australia. Subjects: In 1997-9, 2334 people aged 55 years and over, participated in a 5-year follow-up of the cohort attending the Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES). D...
Article
Full-text available
This study evaluates the contribution of energy-dense, nutrient-poor 'extra' foods to the diets of 16-24-month-old children from western Sydney, Australia. An analysis of cross-sectional data collected on participants in the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study (CAPS), a randomised trial investigating the primary prevention of asthma from birth to 5 y...
Article
Full-text available
Objective This study evaluates the contribution of energy-dense, nutrient-poor ‘extra’ foods to the diets of 16–24-month-old children from western Sydney, Australia. Design An analysis of cross-sectional data collected on participants in the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study (CAPS), a randomised trial investigating the primary prevention of asthma...
Article
Early life exposures may be important in the development of asthma and allergic disease. To test house dust mite (HDM) avoidance and dietary fatty acid modification, implemented throughout the first 5 years of life, as interventions to prevent asthma and allergic disease. We recruited newborns with a family history of asthma antenatally and randomi...
Article
There is much to be gained by reducing children's intake of soft drinks and little - except excess weight - to be lost.
Article
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The use of short questions in population surveys can provide valuable information on food habits and how these habits change. In order to monitor trends in diet and make comparisons, standardised survey questions must be maintained over time. However, occasionally it may be desirable to replace older questions with improved ones. This study was com...
Article
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To examine the prevalence of low serum folate and vitamin B12, in association with elevated serum homocysteine, in a representative sample of older Australians. During 1997-2000, 3,508 persons aged 50+ years were examined in a population-based cohort study conducted in two postcodes, west of Sydney, Australia. Of these, 2,901 participants (82.7%) p...
Article
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An adequate and varied diet is important for normal growth and development, maintenance of good health and the prevention of chronic disease; as is the need for up-to-date, reliable and timely data to provide a basis for informed decision making and regulation by government. Despite this, and clear evidence for the contribution of nutrition to the...
Article
Objective: To document meat consumption among 18-month-old children, for use in refining population dietary assessment methods and dietary guidance for young children. Design: A secondary analysis of data collected in 1998–2000 from the 18 months follow up of the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study: an intervention trial of omega-3 oil supplementatio...
Article
International recommendations advise that women exclusively breastfeed for the first six months and continue to breastfeed until their infants are at least 12 months of age. These recommendations have been endorsed by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and included in the Infant feeding guidelines for health workers (see pa...
Article
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) have outlined breastfeeding practices conducive to health in their Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia, including exclusive breastfeeding to about six months of age, introducing solids appropriately at around six months of age, and extending breastfeeding to at least...
Article
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Knowledge about factors affecting breastfeeding can be developed by further research on underlying factors and by drawing out the implications and lessons from intervention research. The use of a conceptual framework to guide this research and the interpretation of results can help us to understand the relative importance of different factors, and...
Article
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Monitoring key food habits of children is important for planning and improving health services in New South Wales. The NSW Health Department conducts the NSW Health survey program using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI). This survey includes questions for monitoring food habits of children aged 0-16 years. In this report, we recommend s...
Article
The objective of this study was to assess the relation between observed levels of omega-3 fatty acids in plasma and symptoms of asthma and atopy in children at 18 months of age. A total of 616 women at risk of having a child who would develop asthma because of a family history were recruited from the antenatal clinics of six hospitals in Sydney, Au...
Article
Two factors thought to influence the risk of asthma are the promoting effect of sensitization to house dust mites and the preventive effect of increased omega-3 fatty acids. Although house dust mite allergen avoidance has been used as a preventive strategy in several trials, the effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in the primary prevention...