What We Do : Nutrition and Foods Program : Texas State University

Overview

The NUEVA project is leveraging community-engaged and mixed methods approaches to design, implement, and evaluate a multi-functional and multi-platform app for senior nutrition programs in Central Texas. Currently, we are applying theories and models to create and pilot test a prototype for the app and web interface. Over the next year, we will complete additional testing and modification of the NUEVA app. Ultimately, our work will help to build capacity for policy, systems, and environmental changes to support senior nutrition in our region and beyond.

Engage Students in Research

Screenshot of Nishat Tabassum's published research paper

Nishat Tasnim Tabassum, a graduate student in nutrition, authored and published a review titled “Digital and Technology-Based Nutrition Interventions, Including Medically Tailored Meals (MTMs) for Older Adults in the U.S.—A Scoping Review” in the Special Issue Nutrition and Health Throughout the Lifespan in January 2026.

NUEVA team members. From left to right (Names).

From left to right (Elizabeth Browne, Nishat Tasnim Tabassum and Kate Miller).

Elizabeth Browne, Nishat Tasnim Tabassum and Kate Miller , graduate students in nutrition, attended the FCS in Bloom event at Texas State University in April 2025 and presented a research poster about NUEVA beta testing.

From left to right (Dr. Cassandra Johnson, Dr. Lesli Biediger-Friedman, Brian Haupt, Emma Catron, Jestin Young and Dr. Eduardo Perez).

Students working with Dr. Eduardo Perez earned the distinction of best project for Industrial Engineering at Texas State's annual Senior Design Day in the Ingram School of Engineering held on December 6, 2024. The ultimate goal of this project is to optimize the operational processes at Meals on Wheels Central Texas by identifying bottlenecks and streamline operations through process mapping, improving customer service through call volume reduction, and thoroughly analyzing the processes to identify areas for Improvement within the organization. Using Industrial Engineering methodologies to successfully optimize the processes, we strive to ensure the organization's longstanding commitment to serving the community is upheld.

Selena Ramirez at the Digi-Tech Playground at SNEB 2023

Selena Ramirez, a graduate student in nutrition, traveled to the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior (SNEB) annual meeting in Washington, DC in July of 2023 and presented a research poster about NUEVA

Chelsea Hopkins, an undergraduate student in nutrition, interned with the NUEVA project in the Summer of 2023 through the NUTR 4301 Career Exploration course and was involved in alpha testing and created a GIS story map.

Share Research at Conferences

NUEVA research has been presented at the following conferences:

ISBNPA 2023; Uppsala, Sweden
SNEB 2023; Washington, DC
INNU 2024; Des Moines, IA
ISBNPA 2024; Omaha, NE
Joint Meeting of AGX and SWAAG 2024; San Marcos, TX
INNU 2025: Des Moines, IA
IISE 2025; Atlanta, GA
SNEB 2025; Indianapolis, IN

Enrich Scholarly Community on Campus

Poster presented at FCS in Bloom 2024

NUEVA research has been presented at the following events of the Texas State University campus in San Marcos, TX.

FCS in Bloom 2023; School of Family and Consumer Sciences
FCS in Bloom 2024; School of Family and Consumer Sciences
FCS in Bloom 2025; School of Family and Consumer Sciences
Health Scholar Showcase 2024; Translational Health Research Center
Health Scholar Showcase 2025; Translational Health Research Center

Published Journal Articles

Digital and Technology-Based Nutrition Interventions, Including Medically Tailored Meals (MTMs) for Older Adults in the U.S.—A Scoping Review
by Nishat Tabassum, Dr. Lesli Biediger-Friedman, Dr. Cassandra M. Johnson, Dr. Michelle Lane, Seanna Marceaux | Jan 24, 2026

Chronic conditions and societal barriers disproportionately affect older adults of the United States. Technology is advancing with little evidence of effective digital and technology-based nutrition intervention programs for older adults, especially concerning Medically Tailored Meals. This scoping review identified existing evidence to improve current data.

Food Delivery Apps an Their Potential to Address Food Insecurity in Older Adults: A Review
by Dr. Sangchul Hwang, Dr. Cassandra M. Johnson, Dr. Joni Charles, Dr. Lesli Biediger-Friedman | Sep 10, 2024

The proportion of older adults is increasing globally, yet many of them experience food insecurity. Technological innovations may help mitigate food insecurity. However, this topic has been understudied. This scoping review searched for publications and reports from around the world using interdisciplinary databases and sources like government websites.

A socioeconomic disadvantage index for informing policy, systems, and environmental change interventions for senior nutrition programs
by Dr. Shadi Maleki, Dr. Cassandra Johnson, Dr. Francis Mendez, Dr. Ram Shanmugam & Dr. Lesli Biediger-Friedman | Jan 20, 2025

Identifying socioeconomic disparities within a local area is critical for tailoring policy solutions to older adult populations. However, a comprehensive index for characterizing socioeconomic disadvantage for older adult households in the U.S. is yet to be developed. This study is the first of its kind and used secondary data from the U.S.

Create Story Maps

Our team has created story maps in ArcGIS to highlight gaps and opportunities related to food access for senior nutrition, including food insecurity.

Research Products

Published Abstracts

Conference Proceedings

Journal Articles

Conference Presentations

Past student participants

Click to learn more about past student participants that worked with the NUEVA project

Past participants