Research and Community Outreach

The Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management is actively involved in research with the faculty, staff, and students. Some of the selected research topics include the following:

Research

Child Nutrition

Eating Good… and Moving Like We Should. A school and community program that aims to prevent and reduce obesity in the Mississippi Delta. The incidence of obesity in the Mississippi Delta is dramatically higher than the national average. The purpose of this project is to combine the best practices of several obesity intervention programs to create a successful prevention and treatment program for obesity in the Mississippi Delta.

Household Finance and Food Insecurity

Food insecurity has worsened in the US as the poverty rate increased and government assistances reduced. There is limited research whether individual financial management or financial status other than income relates to food insecurity and hunger. Using secondary data of nation-wide household samples, we examine how household assets and debts are associated with food insecurity. Further, we examine how fluctuations in financial environment for households such as market performance and consumer credit regulations influence household food insecurity. Preliminary findings suggest financial strain measured based on cash reserves and financial wealth significantly increases food insecurity.

Community Outreach

In the Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management, our faculty, staff, and students are committed to making a different in the lives of those within our Lafayette-Oxford-University and Mississippi communities. Many of our courses and student organizations involve faculty and students volunteering with local organizations the Oxford Food Pantry, MANNA, Meals on Wheels, More than a Meal, Adopt-a-Basket, the Boys and Girls Club, and many more.

The students in Quantity Food Production and Service (NHM 462) and the accompanying Quantity Food Production and Service Lab (NHM 472) work with local farmers to supply fresh produce for preparing meals for guests in the department’s student-run restaurant, Lenoir Dining.

Many of our faculty and staff members sit on several university and local boards to tie in educational facets of the department and link the community with our increasing awareness and efforts in cultivating new and lasting partnerships.

If you would like to become involved in any research or community involvement efforts with the Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management, please contact us nhm@olemiss.edu