Current research and community-engaged projects
NIH NHLBI K01 Career Development Award
Capacity-oriented approaches to food security, diet quality, and cardiovascular disease risk among Hispanics/Latinos
New York Regional Center for Diabetes Translational Research Pilot & Feasibility Award
The role of neighborhood and household food environments and food shopping behaviors in shaping diet quality and glucose metabolism among Hispanic/Latino youth and their caregivers
USDA-Tufts 25 years of Food Security Measurement Award
Measuring food insecurity in Latinx families: expanding understanding of their experiences through exploratory interviewing and cognitive testing
Food security among San Diego State University students
Exploring the causes and consequences of food insecurity, and strategies to mitigate food insecurity, among full-time undergraduates at an Hispanic, Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Island Serving Institution
Project New Village
Grassroots, resident-led nonprofit improving fresh food access in Southeastern San Diego
Our research team
Primary Investigator
Amanda C. McClain, PhD, MS
Assistant Professor
San Diego State University
Current Students and Researchers
Past Students and Researchers
Primary investigator
AMANDA C. MCCLAIN, PHD, MS
Dr. McClain earned her PhD in 2016 from the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University and then completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health before joining SDSU as an Assistant Professor in 2018.
current students and trainees
Lucia Canul, MS, RD
Yesenia Ceja Zamorano, BS
Lucia Canul, MS, RD
PhD in Public Health, Global Health
Lauryn Carter, BS
Yesenia Ceja Zamorano, BS
Lucia Canul, MS, RD
MS in Nutritional Sciences
Yesenia Ceja Zamorano, BS
Yesenia Ceja Zamorano, BS
Petrona Gregorio-Pascual, MA
Volunteer research assistant
Petrona Gregorio-Pascual, MA
Petrona Gregorio-Pascual, MA
Petrona Gregorio-Pascual, MA
PhD in Public Health, Health Behavior
Iveth Lagunas, BS
Petrona Gregorio-Pascual, MA
Iveth Lagunas, BS
Volunteer research assistant
Griselda Luna, BS
Petrona Gregorio-Pascual, MA
Iveth Lagunas, BS
MS in Nutritional Sciences
Krisztina Kemenes, BS
Krisztina Kemenes, BS
Krisztina Kemenes, BS
MS in Nutritional Sciences
Marian Marian, MS
Krisztina Kemenes, BS
Krisztina Kemenes, BS
PhD in Public Health, Global Health
Nyla McGlory
Krisztina Kemenes, BS
Nyla McGlory
BA in Social Science; 2023 Summer Undergraduate Research Program
Andrea Meza
Erika Romero, MPH
Nyla McGlory
BS in Public Health; 2023 Summer Undergraduate Research Program
Erika Romero, MPH
Erika Romero, MPH
Erika Romero, MPH
Volunteer/Research Specialist II
Past MPH mentee
past students and Trainees
Jillian Arizcuren, BS, RD
Jillian Arizcuren, BS, RD
Jillian Arizcuren, BS, RD
Dietetic Intern, UC San Diego
Robert Castro, MS
Jillian Arizcuren, BS, RD
Jillian Arizcuren, BS, RD
PhD Student in Nutrition and Integrative Physiology, University of Utah
Cynthia Chow, MPH
Jillian Arizcuren, BS, RD
Cynthia Chow, MPH
Epidemiology Analyst, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Edgar Doolan, MS
Jonnatan Fajardo, MS, RD
Cynthia Chow, MPH
Dietetic Intern, Sodexo
Katia Enns, MS
Jonnatan Fajardo, MS, RD
Jonnatan Fajardo, MS, RD
Dietetic Intern, UC San Diego
Jonnatan Fajardo, MS, RD
Jonnatan Fajardo, MS, RD
Jonnatan Fajardo, MS, RD
PhD Candidate in Nutritional Biology, UC Davis
Pedro Guzman, MS, RD
Jacqueline Ibarra, MPH, RD
Jacqueline Ibarra, MPH, RD
Dietetic Intern, Sacramento State
Jacqueline Ibarra, MPH, RD
Jacqueline Ibarra, MPH, RD
Jacqueline Ibarra, MPH, RD
Registered Dietitian, San Ysidro Health PACE program
Trisha Molina, MS
Jacqueline Ibarra, MPH, RD
Jayden Montejano, MS, RD
Dietetic Intern, UC San Diego
Jayden Montejano, MS, RD
Courtney Smith, MS, CPT, CLC
Jayden Montejano, MS, RD
Dietetic Intern, Sacramento State
Lani Morales, MS
Courtney Smith, MS, CPT, CLC
Courtney Smith, MS, CPT, CLC
Dietetic Intern, Sacramento State
Courtney Smith, MS, CPT, CLC
Courtney Smith, MS, CPT, CLC
Courtney Smith, MS, CPT, CLC
Dietetic Intern, Wellness Workdays
Capacity-oriented approaches to food security & diet
San Diego Community Stakeholder Study
This qualitative study aims to understand the experiences and perspectives of key informants from diverse food- and nutrition-related stakeholder agencies regarding existing multi-level capacities to address food insecurity in San Diego County, CA. We also explore COVID-19 pandemic-specific experiences of these agencies as well as their approaches to working with Hispanic/Latino communities.
Morales, L.*, Yowell, L.*, Molina, T.*, Smith, C.*, Arizcuren, J.*, McClain A.C.† (2023). Across-agency partnerships and within-agency capacities facilitate holistic, tailored approaches to addressing food insecurity: a qualitative study. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 123(12), 1749-1762.e2. DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2023.07.024
*student mentee, † senior author
Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos
This cross-sectional quantitative study uses cohort data from the multi-site Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos to identify existing human, social, material, and cultural capital promoting food security, healthy diets, and favorable cardiometabolic risk profiles among U.S. Hispanic/Latino adults.
Intervention Development
We are currently in the process of integrating findings from the San Diego Community Stakeholder Study and the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos to inform focus groups with low-income Hispanic/Latino adults for development of a capacity-oriented behavior change intervention.
Food security 25: Proyecto Mesa
MESA: Mejorando la Esperanza en Seguridad Alimentaria
MESA: Mejorando la Esperanza en Seguridad Alimentaria
MESA: Mejorando la Esperanza en Seguridad Alimentaria
Project MESA, or Improving Hope for Food Security, uses cognitive interviewing to understand how well items from the USDA 18-item Household Food Security Module reflect the experiences of Latino/a caregivers and how they understand, interpret, and perceive the items and response options.
Funding
MESA: Mejorando la Esperanza en Seguridad Alimentaria
MESA: Mejorando la Esperanza en Seguridad Alimentaria
To mark the 25th anniversary of the U.S. household food security measurement, the USDA provided competitive grant funding to further food security measurement. Proyecto MESA was one of 6 projects selected for funding.
Publications
Media Coverage
Media Coverage
McClain, A.C., †† Johnson, C.M., ††DiRado-Owens, C., & Dickin, K.L. (In press). How do Latina/o/x parents interpret and respond to the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module? A qualitative cognitive interviewing study. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
††shared first authorship
Media Coverage
Media Coverage
Media Coverage
Food insecurity among sdsu students
Full-time undergraduate students
Using data from the National Collegiate Health Assessment III, we documented the association of food security status with psychological distress and loneliness among full-time undergraduate students.
Guzman, P.G.*,Lange, J.E., & McClain, A.C.† (2022). The association between food security status and psychological distress and loneliness among full-time undergraduate students at a minority-serving institution. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(22), 15245. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192215245
*student mentee, † senior author
Division 1 student-athletes
Student athletes at a minority-serving institution, like SDSU, encounter unique challenges to maintaining food security. Using a cross-sectional survey, we aim to identify sociodemographic and personal determinants of food security status among Division 1 student-athletes.
Project new village
People's Produce Mobile Farmers' Market (PPMFM)
The PPMFM opened its doors in October 2022, increasing access to healthy food by bringing fresh produce from local farmers to communities across greater Southeastern San Diego. You can find the PPMFM at various sites each week.
Nutrition education at the PPMFM
Each semester, Dr. McClain's students, including those enrolled in her NUTR 510: Community Nutrition course, provide nutrition education to customers at the PPMFM.
Backyard Gardener's Community of Practice
Through funding from a Danone Institute One Planet One Health Initiative Innovation Award, Project New Village was able to establish and sustain a residential food growers and farmers community of practice.
the student experience
Student involvement and mentorship
My teaching and mentoring philosophy is grounded in the experiences I had growing up in a working-class household in a low-income neighborhood in Memphis, TN, a city disproportionally impacted by generations of unaddressed poverty and racism. For me, education was the key to escaping this cycle, while also preparing me to play an integral role in improving the lives of individuals from marginalized backgrounds and communities. Much like my research, I use a capacity-oriented approach with students in my classroom and on my research team — I aim to guide and empower students to leverage their own existing assets and to work collectively as a team to complement each individual team member's assets in pursuit of a common goal. Fundamental to the FARE Nutrition research team is the notion that having a positive impact on the health and well-being of our communities requires a complementary and committed community of people working together.
