Research Activities & Impact

The Friedman School is doing important work locally and globally in all areas of nutrition science and policy. We hope to illustrate the depth and breadth of our research and impact by detailing some of our projects and initiatives, both active and past. Browse activities using our major theme areas, or navigate using the map. Read more about our research funding principles.

Global Dietary Database

Currently, for most countries, the only available dietary data are food balance sheets from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which provide rough national estimates of food availability or disappearance. Previous work has shown that, even nationally, such data have shortcomings, for example, total daily energy intakes are often overestimated by about 1000 kilocalories per day; and intake levels of most foods are overestimated by 50-200%.  Furthermore FAO data provide no information on diet subnationally, for example, by age, sex, pregnancy/nursing status, or socioeconomic status. Thus, the true levels of consumption of  most food and nutrients across the world, and particularly among specific population subgroups, are unknown.

Topics: 
Global Nutrition
Big Data, Technology, and Personalized Nutrition
Project Status: 
Active

Global Nutrition and Policy Consortium

The Global Nutrition and Policy Consortium is an initiative based at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy that involves collaborating public health and nutrition experts worldwide. Our research will provide innovative and highly relevant findings on dietary intakes, diseases, and policies that will inform priorities for prevention strategies to improve the diets and health outcomes of people around the world.

Topics: 
Food Policy and Disparities
Global Nutrition
Project Status: 
Active

INDDEX - International Dietary Data Expansion Project

The INDDEX Project is a collaborative effort between the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and other international experts. The INDDEX team aims to facilitate countries’ increased acquisition and use of high-quality, timely food and nutrient consumption data, which is needed to create more effective evidence-based decisions about agriculture, food, and nutrition policies and programs.

Topics: 
Big Data, Technology, and Personalized Nutrition
Project Status: 
Active

John Hancock Research Center on Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity Prevention

In 1999, Dr. Miriam Nelson founded the Center for Physical Fitness within the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, under the guidance and support of Dean Irwin Rosenberg. The Center, while initially small, had big goals – to improve the physical activity patterns and fitness of Americans.

Topics: 
Healthy Communities and Behavior Change
Chronic Diseases and Healthy Aging
Obesity and Diabetes
Public Impact
Project Status: 
Past

LASTING: Leading a Sustainability Transition in Nutrition Globally

Producing detailed, compelling, and evidence-based recommendations for incorporating social and economic pillars into full cost accounting of dietary patterns, including novel metrics and methods to better capture the pillars that are still poorly understood.

Topics: 
Food Policy and Disparities
Food Systems, Agriculture, and Climate Change
Public Impact
Project Status: 
Active