commentary
Why Are U.S. Veterans at Heightened Risk of Food Insecurity?
Nov 24, 2021
Andrea Richardson
Policy Researcher; Professor, Pardee RAND Graduate School
Pittsburgh Office
Education
Ph.D. in nutrition epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; M.P.H. in epidemiology, Emory University; B.S. in math, University of Chicago
Media Resources
This researcher is available for interviews.
To arrange an interview, contact the RAND Office of Media Relations at (310) 451-6913, or email media@rand.org.
More ExpertsOverview
Andrea Richardson is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Her research focus is nutrition epidemiology and encompasses the social and biological risk factors that underlie obesity throughout the life course. Through her work in the health research field, she developed a broad knowledge base in population-based and clinical research. Her research interests include the underlying mechanisms between environment (built and social), behaviors, biology (genetics), and health disparities. She is particularly motivated to address neighborhood (dis)investment, social injustice, and racial inequity impact on health in racial/ethnic minority populations. Richardson has strong statistical skills and publication history in peer-reviewed journals. Her expertise includes complex longitudinal and structural equation modeling to link environmental determinants to obesity disparities in socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Richardson received her Ph.D. in nutrition epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her M.P.H. in epidemiology from Emory University, and her B.S. in math from the University of Chicago.
Research Focus
Pardee RAND Graduate School Courses
Recent Projects
- Impacts of discriminatory mortgage lending practices on obesity,
- Federal School Nutrition Policies, Student Food Insecurity and BMI
- Grow Pittsburgh Learning Garden Evaluation
Selected Publications
Richardson AS, Weden MM, Cabreros I, Datar A., "Association of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 With Body Mass Trajectories of Children in Low-Income Families," JAMA New Open, 5(5), 2022
Richardson AS, Collins, RL, Nugroho A, et al., "Improvements in Neighborhood Socioeconomic Conditions May Improve Resident Diet," Am J Epidemiol, 190(5), 2021
Richardson AS, Meyer KA, Howard AG, Boone-Heinonen J, Popkin BM, Evenson KR, Kiefe CI, Lewis CE, Gordon-Larsen P, "Neighborhood socioeconomic status and food environment: A 20-year longitudinal latent class analysis among CARDIA participants.," Health & Place, 30, 2014
Richardson AS, Troxel WM, Collins RL, Ghosh-Dastidar M, Hunter GP, Beckman R, Colabianchi N, Dubowitz T., "Pathways through which higher neighborhood crime is longitudinally associated with greater body mass index.," Int J Behav Nut Phys Act, (1), 2017
Richardson AS, Ghosh-Dastidar M, Collins RL, Beckman R, Flórez K, Dubowitz T. , "Can the introduction of a full service supermarket in a food desert improve residents’ economic status and health? ," Ann Epidemiol, (12), 2017
Richardson AS, Dietz WH, Gordon-Larsen P, "The association between childhood sexual and physical abuse with incident adult severe obesity: The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health," Pediatr Obes, 9(5), 2014
Richardson AS, Boone-Heinonen J, Popkin BM, Gordon-Larsen P, "Neighborhood fast food restaurants and fast food consumption: A national study," BMC Public Health, 8(11), 2011
Richardson AS, Meyer KA, Howard AG, Boone-Heinonen J, Popkin BM, Evenson KR, Shikany JM, Lewis CE, Gordon-Larsen, "Multiple pathways from the neighborhood food environment to increased body mass index through dietary behaviors: A structural equation-based analysis in the CARDIA study," Health & Place, 7(36), 2015
Honors & Awards
- Graduate Education Advancement Board Impact Award, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Pre-doctoral trainee, Carolina Population Center
- Royster Society Fellowship, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
