Two University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health researchers have been awarded a $5.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK government to manage a competitive grants program that supports research aimed at understanding the drivers of food choice in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Associate professor Dr. Christine Blake and professor Dr. Edward Frongillo, from the department of health promotion, education and behavior in the Arnold School, will manage the grant. The Drivers of Food Choice grants program will provide funding over five years for research that has the potential to guide programs and research activities to improve food and nutrition security in poor countries.

“A better understanding of the drivers of food choice would provide guidance for more effective nutrition-sensitive programs,” says Dr. Blake, who will serve as principal investigator for the project.  “Improving nutrition across the life course is essential for the long-term well-being of families and communities and for successful economic and social advancement.”

Read more: http://www.sph.sc.edu/news/gates_grant.html