September 26, 2012 K-State awarded $2.5 million grant to study
kids, food Many of today’s youth are overweight – or obese. And,
while some are quick to blame oversized portions, fast or snack
foods, and carbonated beverages, a Kansas State University
nutrition researcher believes there’s more to it than that. “We
need to look at what kids are eating – and why,” said Tanda
Kidd, associate professor in human nutrition at Kansas State
University and K-State Research and Extension nutrition
specialist. That’s why Kidd organized a grant proposal to fund
community-based research to learn more about sixth- to eighth-
graders’ eating habits. The $2.5 million research grant is
funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National
Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food
Research Initiative, with goals to identify barriers that stand
between youth and healthy choices; develop strategies to
overcome the barriers; and increase youths' consumption of
health-promoting fruits, vegetables and whole grains, a