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Nutrition Equity and Community Health: Social, Environmental, and Innovative Approaches

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2026 | Viewed by 476

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Health Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
Interests: health equity; community-engaged research; implementation science; hypertension; public housing; DASH diet; food security; women

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Guest Editor Assistant
College of Health Sciences, University of Kentucky, 900 South Limestone Street, Room 209C, Lexington, KY 40536-0200, USA
Interests: health equity; community-engaged research; implementation science; hypertension; DASH diet; food security; chronic disease prevention; subsidized housing; older adults

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Persistent disparities in dietary intake and nutrition-related health outcomes remain a pressing public health concern, particularly among economically disadvantaged and historically marginalized populations. Structural and social determinants, including food and nutrition insecurity, systemic racism, underinvestment in neighborhood infrastructure, and lack of access to affordable, healthy, and culturally relevant food, are major drivers of inequities in diet quality and nutrition-related chronic conditions such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease. While dietary recommendations like the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and the Mediterranean eating plans are well-established for chronic disease prevention, many communities face persistent barriers to adoption and adherence.

This Special Issue will highlight research that advances our understanding of nutrition equity at both the population and community levels. We welcome interdisciplinary studies that examine how structural, social, and environmental factors shape dietary behaviors and outcomes, as well as community-based interventions that aim to promote dietary change and improve nutrition security. 

This Special Issue will include original research, systematic reviews, program evaluations, and theoretical or methodological contributions focused on nutrition equity, population health, and community-based practice. We encourage submissions using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods, as well as those grounded in implementation science, community-based participatory research, or other participatory approaches.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Brandi M. White
Guest Editor

Dr. Kendra OoNorasak
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nutrition equity
  • population health
  • community-based research
  • dietary patterns
  • food and nutrition security
  • social determinants of health
  • culturally tailored interventions
  • health disparities
  • chronic disease prevention
  • community engagement

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 264 KB  
Article
New Tools for Health: COMUNI Questionnaire to Measure Dietary Quality of University Menus
by Beatriz de Mateo Silleras, Laura Carreño Enciso, Sandra de la Cruz Marcos, Emiliano Quinto Fernández and Paz Redondo del Río
Nutrients 2025, 17(24), 3873; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17243873 - 11 Dec 2025
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The university stage is a critical period for consolidating dietary habits that influence future health. University canteens therefore play a key role in providing menus aligned with nutritional recommendations. As menu composition shapes students’ access to healthy food, its evaluation also [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The university stage is a critical period for consolidating dietary habits that influence future health. University canteens therefore play a key role in providing menus aligned with nutritional recommendations. As menu composition shapes students’ access to healthy food, its evaluation also has equity implications. This study aimed to apply a newly designed questionnaire—the COMUNI questionnaire—intended to provide a rapid, user-friendly, and transferable method for evaluating the dietary quality of lunch menus offered in university canteens. Methods: Two versions of the 13-item COMUNI questionnaire were developed: COMUNI-1 for single-option menus and COMUNI-2 for menus offering multiple first- and second-course choices. The tool evaluates the frequency of key food groups, the availability of water and wholegrain bread, and the variety of foods and culinary techniques. To test the questionnaire, it was applied to 34 menu templates from university residences, colleges, and cafeterias. Results: 85.3% of menus showed deficient dietary quality, and 14.7% were rated as improvable; none achieved an optimal score. Menus managed by catering companies obtained significantly higher scores than those under direct management. Most frequently shortcomings included insufficient offerings of vegetables, legumes, fish, and wholegrain bread, alongside a frequent presence of refined carbohydrate sources and fried or ultra-processed foods. Conclusions: Universities should incorporate adherence to dietary recommendations as a key criterion in food-service procurement. The COMUNI questionnaire provides a simple and operational tool for assessing menu quality, supporting both diagnosis and monitoring of university food-service, once formally validated. Its use may also help identify structural disparities in access to healthy foods across campus settings, supporting more equitable food-service policies. Full article
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