About

Tashara M. Leak is a researcher whose work focuses on nutrition education, dietary behaviors, and public health, particularly among low-income populations and adolescents. Her research explores biobehavioral factors shaping nutrition, the effectiveness of behavioral economics strategies to increase vegetable intake among children, and the role of adolescents in household food preparation. She has contributed to understanding the dietary patterns and challenges faced by low-income and minority groups, including studies on whole-grain intake, snack consumption, and the impact of socioeconomic disparities on food choices. Leak's work also addresses culturally influenced feeding practices among Latinx mothers and the use of mobile applications to deliver infant and toddler feeding education. Her research aims to promote health equity through improved nutrition education, healthy food retail programs, and interventions tailored to vulnerable populations.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Environmental health
• Demography
• Political Science
• Sociology
• Geography
• Internal medicine
• Gerontology
• Medical education
• Nursing
• Gender studies
• Psychology

Selected publications

• Factors Associated With SNAP Online Fruit and Vegetable Purchasing Among Produce Incentive Program Participants

  American Journal of Health Promotion · 2026-05-16

  articleSenior author

  PurposeTo examine associations between household child composition, grocery travel burden, and online fruit and vegetable (F&V) purchasing using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.DesignCross-sectional, Online Survey.SettingNew York State, USA.SampleAdults (n = 455) recruited via postcards and email participating in Double Up Food Bucks New York (DUFBNY), a F&V incentive program.MeasuresFrequency of online F&V purchasing using SNAP benefits, household children composition (number and age of children), grocery travel behaviors (primary transportation mode and travel time), and demographic characteristics (age, gender, race/ethnicity, education) were assessed.AnalysisOrdinal logistic regression.ResultsHouseholds with children aged 0-4 years had significantly higher odds of frequent online F&V purchases (OR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.16-3.89). Participants who drove their own car and had short travel times (≤20 min) had lower odds of purchasing F&Vs online compared with those using other transportation modes and traveling >20 min (OR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.24, 0.90).ConclusionExpanding online options within F&V incentive programs may be particularly relevant for households with young children and those facing longer grocery travel times or limited transportation. These findings may help inform the design, implementation, outreach, and future evaluation of online options within F&V incentive programs.

  PublisherDOI

• Integrating Cancer Prevention into Science Education: Development of the CARES4You School-based Curriculum

  Journal of Cancer Education · 2025-12-22

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Scoping Review of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Fruit and Vegetable Incentive Programs

  Journal of Nutrition · 2025-07-01 · 2 citations

  reviewSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• The Advanced Cooking Education 4-H After-School Club at Low-Income, Urban Middle Schools: Year 2 Preliminary Findings

  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 2025-08-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Abstract IA040: Cancer risk education in schools for youth and families

  Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention · 2025-09-18 · 1 citations

  article

  Abstract The rise in cancer incidence among younger adults (ages 20-39) in NYC is currently outpacing the increase across the rest of the US (96.9 vs. 89.5 per 100,000). However, the burden of cancer in NYC is not equally distributed. In NYC's poorest neighborhoods, the rates of preventable cancers, such as cervical cancer, is 73% higher compared to the wealthiest neighborhoods. The magnitude of this disparity exceeds those associated with Black race, Hispanic ethnicity, or residence in a rural county documented in a previous population-based study of the US. Rather, it is likely the persistent poverty in these neighborhoods that drives cancer disparities. Despite these known facts, there remains limited research on multi-level and multi-generational approaches that address the impact of persistent poverty on youth and young adults' current and future cancer risk behaviors. Effective cancer education interventions in schools could significantly impact health-promoting intentions and cancer risk behaviors in younger adults. To date, most school-based intervention studies have been limited. The need for this research is especially salient in NYC, the most populous city in the United States, with nearly 2 million New Yorkers under 18. This study will evaluate the implementation of a co-developed cancer risk education curriculum integrated into the science classrooms of six NYC public schools (n=906 students), taught by the school's grade-level science teacher. All teachers will be trained on the curriculum by the study team. The intervention is guided by the Self-Determination and youth empowerment theory, thus, it will leverage the natural desire of youth to be socially conscious, autonomous individuals who can be effective agents of social change. The intervention aims to: 1) increase students’ intention to engage in at least one health-promoting behavior (e.g., drink less or no sugary beverages) in the next month as a predictor of actual behavior change; and 2) increase cancer risk communication between the student and a caregiver. Additionally, we will explore the impact of increased cancer risk communication on the health-promoting behaviors of at least one caregiver in the household. Assessments of students will be conducted at baseline and within 4 weeks of completing the curriculum. Caregivers will also be assessed within the same 4-week period after curriculum completion. The RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework will also be used to evaluate implementation. Citation Format: Alia Komsany, Jared Fox, Rosio G. Ramos, Tashara Leak, Mary Beth G. Terry, Jazmin G. McDonald, Erica G. Phillips. Cancer risk education in schools for youth and families [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 18th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities; 2025 Sep 18-21; Baltimore, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2025;34(9 Suppl):Abstract nr IA040.

  PublisherDOI

• Facilitators and barriers to healthy snacking in corner stores from the perspective of adolescents in a youth advocacy program

  Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · 2025-03-08

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• What does it take for healthy food retail programmes to be successful? Lessons learned in New York City

  Public Health Nutrition · 2024-01-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  OBJECTIVE: Healthy food retail programmes (HFRP) in the USA generally aim to increase healthy foods access to improve diet quality and health, yet the impact is mixed. These programmes primarily target adults, even though adolescents frequently and independently visit stores to purchase snacks. This study's aims are to explore successes and challenges of implementing HFRP (Aim 1) and examine how HFRP can be tailored to adolescents (Aim 2). DESIGN: One-time, virtual, semi-structured interviews with individuals who were involved in a HFRP, followed by a socio-demographic characteristics survey. Interviews were designed based on the RE-AIM framework and the Hexagon Tool and analysed using Braun and Clark's (2006) thematic analysis approach. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise participants' socio-demographic characteristics. SETTING: New York City (NYC). PARTICIPANTS: 21). RESULTS: Aim 1: For successes, strategies to build relationships with the community were most discussed. Regarding challenges, securing reliable funding was the hardest to overcome. Suggested solutions included designing profitable HFRP, targeting shortcomings in food distribution systems and increasing consumer demand. Aim 2: Most participants had not considered adolescents in previous HFRP but suggested involving youth in developing HFRP to encourage youth-driven solutions and promote youth advocacy. CONCLUSIONS: Future HFRP should focus on activities that help store owners purchase affordable healthy foods from distributors, which translates to affordability for customers. Federal and local policies can assist by funding complementary programmes. Additionally, adolescents should be considered in these efforts.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• How Can Transitional Housing Be Improved? Insights from Residents’ Experiences and Perceptions in New York City

  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2024-06-26 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Homelessness, affecting over half a million Americans, significantly elevates the risks of mental and physical health issues, consequently diminishing life expectancy when compared with the general population. Homelessness is a critical public health issue, and efforts are needed to address lack of housing as a social determinant of health. Transitional housing (TH) programs emerge as vital interventions, offering a place to stay with various support services to facilitate the transition to permanent residency. Nearly half of the unhoused population in the country and over 90% in New York live in TH or shelters. Despite the high utilization rates of TH, engagement with support services and opportunities for improvement remain poorly understood. This study aimed to fill this gap by examining the factors influencing support service usage and opportunities for enhancement through semi-structured interviews with TH residents in New York City to capture their lived experiences and perspectives. Analysis of the interviews (n = 20) revealed five main factors affecting service engagement that aligned with constructs of the socioecological model: intrapersonal (self-efficacy, chronic health conditions, mental health), interpersonal (parenthood and well-being of children with special needs, individual staff interactions, and communication), institutional (bureaucratic challenges, administrative burden, and living facilities), community (social isolation and educational opportunity), and policy (challenge meeting basic needs and undocumented status). Recommendations for bridging service gaps primarily arose at the institutional and community levels, offering critical insights for administrators to tailor services more effectively to TH residents’ needs, thus contributing to the broader goal of advancing health equity among the unhoused.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Advanced Cooking Education 4-H After-School Club at Low-Income, Urban Middle Schools: Year 1 Preliminary Findings

  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 2024-07-26

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Barriers and Motivators for Grocery Store Stakeholders Implementing Fruit and Vegetable Incentive Programs

  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 2024-07-26

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Marla Reicks

  20 shared

• Zata Vickers

  University of Minnesota

  18 shared

• Navika Gangrade

  SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

  13 shared

• Cindy W. Leung

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  9 shared

• Alison Swenson

  University of Minnesota

  9 shared

• Felicia Setiono

  Cornell University

  9 shared

• Barbara Laraia

  University of California, Berkeley

  8 shared

• June M. Tester

  University of California, San Francisco

  8 shared

Education

• PhD Nutrition , Department of Food Science and Nutrition

  University of Minnesota

  2015

Awards & honors

• Six Cornell faculty win White House early career awards