Related Experiment Videos
Positive Associations Between Nutrition Policy and Food Environment Scores on Military Installations
Sarah J Hinman1,2, Emma N Alitz1,2, Katie M Kirkpatrick1,2
1Center for Advanced Research for Military Optimization, Readiness, and Rehabilitation, Uniformed Services University, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
Nutrients
|June 26, 2026
Summary
Comprehensive Military Nutrition Environment Assessment Tool (mNEAT) policies correlate with better food environments on military bases. Services with full policies showed higher nutrition assessment scores, especially when multiple venue types were evaluated.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Military Nutrition
- Food Environment Assessment
Background:
- Rising chronic disease necessitates healthy eating initiatives, particularly for service members facing food access challenges on military installations.
- The Military Nutrition Environment Assessment Tool (mNEAT) evaluates nutritious food and beverage access, availability, and promotion within military bases.
- Variations in military service policies regarding food environments and mNEAT implementation exist.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare Military Nutrition Environment Assessment Tool (mNEAT) scores between military services with comprehensive mNEAT policies and those with partial policies.
- To determine if a full mNEAT policy is associated with a more supportive military food environment.
Main Methods:
- Installations were categorized into full-policy (Air Force, Space Force) and partial-policy (Army, Navy, Marine Corps) groups based on mNEAT policy comprehensiveness.
- Data from October 2021 to September 2024 were analyzed, assessing various food venue types (e.g., commissary, dining facilities, express stores) and installation-level community and worksite venues.
- Installations were further grouped by the variety of venue types assessed (low, moderate, high).
Main Results:
- The full-policy group exhibited higher average total installation mNEAT scores (54.6% vs. 50.4%), though this significance diminished when accounting for venue type assessment variety.
- Significant differences favoring the full-policy group were observed in dining facilities/galleys, MWR venues, fast-food, express stores, and community venues.
- In moderate and high venue-type variety groups, the full-policy group showed significantly higher mNEAT scores, unlike the low variety group.
Conclusions:
- Full mNEAT policies appear linked to more supportive military food environments, particularly when assessing five or more food venue types.
- Military services are encouraged to adopt or enhance comprehensive mNEAT policies to improve access to nutritious food options.
- This strategy can bolster service member health and performance and is adaptable to settings like universities and workplaces.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Environmental Influences on Intelligence
Despite the strong genetic influence on traits like intelligence, environmental factors significantly shape outcomes. For example, while over 90% of height variation is due to genetic differences, environmental factors such as nutrition also have a notable impact. Similarly, for intelligence, changes in a child's surroundings can significantly alter their IQ. Research shows that enriched environments boost children's academic success and help them develop key cognitive skills. Children from...
01:23Dietary Connections
In biological systems, most metabolic pathways are interconnected. The cellular respiration processes that convert glucose to ATP—such as glycolysis, pyruvate oxidation, and the citric acid cycle—tie into those that break down other organic compounds. As a result, various foods—from apples to cheese to guacamole—end up as ATP. In addition to carbohydrates, food also contains proteins and lipids—such as cholesterol and fats. All of these organic compounds are used as energy sources to produce...
01:29Assessment of the Gastrointestinal System II: Health Perception Pattern
Assessing the gastrointestinal (GI) system is a complex process that begins with collecting subjective data. This data, collected through patient interviews, provides crucial insights into the patient's health history, perception patterns, and lifestyle habits, all contributing significantly to GI health.
Health Perception Patterns
Health perception patterns offer valuable insights into a patient's lifestyle habits and how they may impact their GI health. These patterns include:
Health Perception Patterns
Health perception patterns offer valuable insights into a patient's lifestyle habits and how they may impact their GI health. These patterns include:
02:35Key Elements for Plant Nutrition
Like all living organisms, plants require organic and inorganic nutrients to survive, reproduce, grow and maintain homeostasis. To identify nutrients that are essential for plant functioning, researchers have leveraged a technique called hydroponics. In hydroponic culture systems, plants are grown—without soil—in water-based solutions containing nutrients. At least 17 nutrients have been identified as essential elements required by plants. Plants acquire these elements from the atmosphere, the...
01:30Regulation of Food Intake
Short-term regulation of food intake primarily involves neural signals from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, blood nutrient levels, and GI tract hormones. Communication between the gut and brain via vagal nerve fibers plays a significant role in evaluating the contents of the gut. Clinical studies have shown that protein ingestion produces a more prolonged response in these nerve fibers compared to an equivalent amount of glucose. Additionally, the activation of stretch receptors caused by GI...
02:16Self-Schemas
In general, a schema is a mental construct consisting of a cluster or collection of related concepts (Bartlett, 1932). There are many different types of schemata, and they all have one thing in common: schemata are a method of organizing information that allows the brain to work more efficiently. When a schema is activated, the brain makes immediate assumptions about the person or object being observed.