Vivica I. Kraak, MS, PhD, RDN

Program Focus

My research focuses on five areas including: (1) understanding food systems governance to promote sustainable diets and food systems affected by climate change; (2) evaluating digital literacy and technologies to support sustainable healthy diets; (3) examining integrated marketing communications that encourage healthy sustainable diets and lifestyles; (4) food-based dietary guidelines to support sustainable diets and food systems; and (5) evaluating the effectiveness of food and nutrition policies of businesses and governments to address obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases. 

Recent Publications in Peer-Reviewed Journals

• Kraak VI, Furr NL. Media communications must promote healthy hydration policies and environments that encourage water consumption to reduce sugary beverage health risks. Am J Public Health. 2024;114(12):1322-1325. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307880.
• Kraak VI, Leary N. Government policies to reduce free or added sugars and use non-sugar sweeteners should support plant-rich dietary patterns, a healthy microbiome and planetary health. Curr Dev Nutr. 2024;8(7):103788. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.103788.
• Leary N, Parker M, Rincón Gallardo Patiño S, Kraak VI. An evaluation of healthy hydration recommendations for 93 countries with sugary beverage tax legislation globally, 2000-2023. Nutrients. 2024;6(14):2264. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16142264. 
• Kraak VI, Kapur M, Thamilselvan V, Lartey A. Policy insights from high-income countries to guide safe, nutritious, and sustainable alternative proteins for low- and middle-income countries. Curr Dev Nutr. 2024;8:101995. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2023.101995.
• Kraak VI, Niewolny KN. A scoping review of food systems governance frameworks and models to develop a typology for social change movements to transform food systems for people and planetary health. Sustainability. 2024;16(4):1469. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16041469.
• Kraak VI, Aschemann-Witzel J. The future of plant-based diets: aligning healthy marketplace choices with equitable, resilient and sustainable food systems. Ann Rev Public Health. 2024; 45:253–275. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-060722-032021.
• Consavage Stanley K, Leary N, Hedrick V, Serrano EL, Holz A, Kraak VI. Exploring the landscape of media campaigns used to encourage or discourage sustainable diet transitions for Americans, 1917-2023: a systematic scoping review. Sustainability. 2024;16(11):4457. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114457.
• Consavage Stanley K, Hedrick VE, Serrano EL, Holz A, Kraak VI. US adults’ perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors towards sustainable dietary patterns and practices: insights from the International Food Information Council’s Food & Health Surveys, 2012-2022. Nutrients. 2023;15(23):4990. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15234990
• Kraak VI. Examining conflicts of interest (COI) for professional service within the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Adv Nutr. 2023:14(3):432–437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advnut.2023.03.009.   
• Kraak VI, Holz A, Woods CL, Whitlow AR, Leary N. A content analysis of persuasive appeals used in media campaigns to encourage and discourage sugary beverages and water in the United States. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(14):6359. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20146359.
• Kraak VI, Consavage Stanley K. An economic lens for sustainable dietary guidelines. Lancet Planetary Health. 2023;7(5):e350–351. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(23)00075-X.
• Kraak VI, Davy BM. Comprehensive multi-sector strategies needed to change portion size norms that disincentivize hyperpalatable, energy-dense foods and sugary beverages in food environments linked to obesity and diet-related diseases in the United States. Curr Dev Nutr. 2023;7(2):100012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2022.100012.
• Kraak VI, Consavage Stanley K, Byker Shanks C, Rincón Gallardo Patiño S. How the G20 leaders could transform nutrition by updating and harmonizing food-based dietary guidelines. United Nations Nutrition J. Rome: FAO; ​2022:69–89. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc2805en.
• Kraak VI, Consavage Stanley K, Harrigan PB, Zhou M. How have media campaigns been used to promote and discourage healthy and unhealthy beverages in the United States? A systematic scoping review to inform future research to reduce sugary beverage health risks to Americans. Obes Rev. 2022;23(5):e13425. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13425. 
• Consavage Stanley K, Harrigan PB, Serrano EL, Kraak VI. A systematic scoping review of the literacy literature to develop a digital food and nutrition literacy model for low-income adults to make healthy choices in the online food retail ecosystem to reduce obesity risk. Obes Rev. 2022; 23(4):e13414. http://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13414.
• Kraak VI. Perspective: Unpacking the wicked challenges for alternative proteins in the United States: can plant-based and cell-cultured food and beverage products support healthy and sustainable diets and food systems? Adv Nutr. 2022;13(1):38–47. https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmab113.
• Kraak VI. Dietary guidance on food processing for safe, healthy and sustainable diets. Nutrition Today. 2021;56(3):114–127. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/NT.0000000000000480.
• Consavage Stanley K, Harrigan PB, Serrano EL, Kraak VI. Applying a multi-dimensional digital food and nutrition literacy model to inform research and policies to enable adults in the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to make healthy purchases in the online food retail ecosystem. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18:8335. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168335.

HNFE 4004: Seminar for Writing and Discourse in the Major
HNFE 5324: Public Health Nutrition Policies and Programs
HNFE 2014: Nutrition Across the Lifespan at the Steger Center for International Scholarship in Switzerland (Fall 2023 semester)

HNFE 2664: Behavioral Theory for Health Promotion  

CALS 1034: Agriculture, Arts and Society: Food Aesthetics