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Publication
What Can We Learn from Impact Assessments?This chapter introduces the basics of quantitative impact assessments. The context is microinsurance, but the lessons apply more broadly. The chapter covers seletion bias, control groups, randomization, statistical power, internal validity, and external …
Publication
Performance Standards for Restaurants: A New Approach to Addressing the Obesity Epidemic. Cohen D, Bhatia R, Story MT, Sugarman SD, Economos CD, Whitsel LP, Williams JD, Elbel B, Harris J, Kappagoda M, Champagne CM, Shields K, Lesser LI, Fox T, Becker …
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NYC “Healthy Happy Meals” Bill: Potential Impact on Fast Food Purchases. Elbel B, Mijanovich T, Cantor J, Bragg MA. …
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The Introduction of a Supermarket via Tax-Credits in a Low-Income Area: The Influence of Purchasing and Consumption. Elbel B, Mijanovich T, Kiszko K, Abrams C, Dixon LB. …
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Corner store purchases in a low-income urban community in NYC. We assessed purchases made, motivations for shopping, and frequency of shopping at four New York City corner stores (bodegas). Surveys and purchase inventories (n = 779) were collected from consumers at four bodegas in Bronx, NY. We use Chi square tests …
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Determining Chronic Disease Prevalence in Local Populations Using Emergency Department Surveillance. Lee DC, Long JA, Wall SP, Braithwaite RS, Elbel B. …
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Spending at Mobile Fruit and Vegetable Carts and Using SNAP Benefits to Pay, Bronx, New York, 2013 and 2014. This study examines purchases at fruit and vegetable carts and evaluates the potential benefits of expanding the availability of electronic benefit transfer machines at Green Carts. Customers at 4 Green Carts in the Bronx, New York, were surveyed in 3 …
Publication
Dietary Variety is Inversely Associated with Body Adiposity among US Adults Using a Novel Food Diversity Index. BACKGROUND: Consuming a variety (vs. monotony) of energy-poor, nutrient-dense foods may help individuals adhere to dietary patterns favorably associated with weight control. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine whether greater healthful …
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Calorie Labeling and Consumer Estimation of Calories Purchased. BACKGROUND: Studies rarely find fewer calories purchased following calorie labeling implementation. However, few studies consider whether estimates of the number of calories purchased improved following calorie labeling legislation. FINDINGS: Researchers …
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Development and Evaluation of the US Healthy Food Diversity Index. Varied diets are diverse with respect to diet quality, and existing dietary variety indices do not capture this heterogeneity. We developed and evaluated the multidimensional US Healthy Food Diversity (HFD) index, which measures dietary variety, dietary …
Publication
Application of Global Positioning System Methods for the Study of Obesity and Hypertension Risk Among Low-Income Housing Residents in New York City: A Spatial Feasibility Study. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using global positioning system (GPS) methods to understand the spatial context of obesity and hypertension risk among a sample of low-income housing residents in New York City (n = 120). GPS …
Publication
Who Reports Noticing and Using Calorie Information Posted on Fast Food Restaurant Menus?OBJECTIVE: Identify consumer characteristics that predict seeing and using calorie information on fast food menu boards. METHODS: Two separate data collection methods were used in Philadelphia during June 2010, several weeks after calorie labeling …
Publication
Same Strategy Different Industry? Corporate Influence on Public Policy. In March 2013 a state judge invalidated New York City's proposal to ban sales of sugar-sweetened beverages larger than 16 ounces; the case is under appeal. This setback was attributable in part to opposition from the beverage industry and racial/ethnic …
Publication
Presenting Quality Data to Vulnerable Groups: Charts, Summaries or Behavioral Economic Nudges?OBJECTIVES: Despite the increased focus on health care consumers' active choice, not enough is known about how to best facilitate the choice process. We sought to assess methods of improving this process for vulnerable consumers in the United States by …
Publication
Elbel B, Schlesinger M. Responsive Consumerism: Empowerment in Markets for Health PlansCONTEXT: American health policy is increasingly relying on consumerism to improve its performance. This article examines a neglected aspect of medical consumerism : the extent to which consumers respond to problems with their health plans . …
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Cost Advantage of Dual-Chamber versus Single-Chamber Cardioverter-Defibrillator ImplantationOBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the least expensive strategy for device selection in patients receiving implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). BACKGROUND: Device cost for a single-chamber ICD is less than an …
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Superstorm Sandy and the Demographics of Flood Risk in New York City.“Superstorm Sandy” brought unprecedented storm surge to New York City neighborhoods and like previous severe weather events exacerbated underlying inequalities in part because socially marginalized populations were concentrated in environmentally exposed …
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Effect of neighborhood stigma on economic transactionsAlthough previously theorized, virtually no rigorous empirical evidence has demonstrated an impact of neighborhood stigma on individual outcomes. To test for the effects of neighborhood stigma on economic transactions, an experimental audit of an online …
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Neighborhood EffectsSocial scientists have long been concerned with the role of space in systems of stratification. While scholars in the field of ‘neighborhood effects’ have typically focused on how a community affects the life chances of its residents, we argue for a …
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"Where, When, Why, and for whom do Residential Contexts Matter? Moving Away From the Dichotomous Understanding of Neighborhood Effects.The literature on neighborhood effects frequently is evaluated or interpreted in relation to the question, “Do neighborhoods matter?” We argue that this question has had a disproportionate influence on the field and does not align with the complexity of …
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Racial Dynamics of Subprime Mortgage Lending at the PeakSubprime mortgage lending in the early 2000s was a leading cause of the Great Recession. From 2003 to 2006, subprime loans jumped from 7.6% of the mortgage market to 20.1%, with black and Latino borrowers receiving a disproportionate share. This article …
Publication
To Give Is to Get: The Promotional Role of Investment Bankers in Local Bond Elections.Public managers and elected officials are generally restricted from supporting election campaigns with public resources. In the case of legislative referenda, the public stakeholders responsible for putting a policy question on the ballot must play a …
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Borrowing for the Public Good: The Growing Importance of Tax-Exempt Bonds for Public CharitiesThe importance of tax-exempt borrowing as a capital source to the nonprofit sector has significantly grown over time. Tax-exempt bonds issued by nonprofits has risen from an inflation-adjusted $106.3 billion in 1993 to $388.5 billion in 2010 representing …