About

Annie Hardison-Moody, PhD, is a professor and Assistant Family and Consumer Sciences Program Leader at North Carolina State University within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Agricultural and Human Sciences department. She received her PhD in religion from Emory University in 2012, with a focus on the intersections of religion and public health. Her research continues to explore the emerging field of religion and health, emphasizing gender, food insecurity, poverty, and inequality. Dr. Hardison-Moody is a co-editor of 'Parenting Practices as a Source for Theology: Mothering Matters' and authored 'When Religion Matters: Practicing Healing in the Aftermath of the Liberian Civil War,' which examines the role of religion in women’s healing practices post-conflict. She is currently working on a book about food insecurity with Dr. Sarah Bowen. Her extensive work includes co-PI roles on NSF, CDC, USDA, and Russell Sage Foundation-funded projects addressing food insecurity, health promotion, and social inequalities. She has been recognized with multiple awards for her engagement, extension, and community programming efforts. Dr. Hardison-Moody teaches courses in human sexuality and research proposal development, and her work integrates research, extension, and teaching to address issues of food insecurity, health disparities, and social justice.

Selected publications

• Exploring Rural Community Stakeholder Perspectives on Produce Prescription and Voucher Incentive Programs in North Carolina

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

  article
  PublisherDOI

• “No reason for children to go hungry”: Rural U.S. caregivers’ perceptions of elected officials and their impacts on food policy

  UNC Libraries · 2025-08-13

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  In the context of the increasingly polarized U.S. political environments of the 2016 and 2020 elections, how did rural caregivers think about food and health policies? To answer this question, researchers interviewed 50 low-income women living in two rural N.C. counties in 2016/7 and 2020 as part of a broader longitudinal qualitative study of family food environments. As participants reflected on elections and food assistance policies, caregivers focused on their experiences as mothers and described current or potential policies and programs in light of how they would impact their children. Caregivers also made recommendations for universal and inclusive policies that would improve their access to food. However, their responses were also racialized, with White caregivers more likely to use tropes of “deservingness” when discussing public benefits. To improve food security in rural areas, researchers should center rural low-income women’s perspectives when developing food policy, particularly given the important role mothers play in feeding their families and mitigating the impacts of food insecurity.

  PublisherDOI

• Exploring Healthy Food Access Among Rural Food Pantries in North Carolina

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

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Religious social capital and minority health: A concept analysis

  UNC Libraries · 2025-05-03

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: Optimizing resources within environments where people live, work, and pray can aid nurses in improving public health. Religion and social capital significantly influence the health of individuals and communities, particularly among racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. A concept analysis of religious social capital was conducted to clarify how this resource is used in the context of health. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis method guided this analysis. A search of PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO, using keywords "religious social capital" and "health" yielded 152 publications. RESULTS: Antecedents were "defined religious social network," "voluntary membership," "shared values," and "trust." Attributes were "relationships (bonding bridging, and linking)," "information exchange and resource sharing," and "reciprocal participation." Consequences were "increased productivity," "increased resources," "better personal and community health," and "trust." A model case of African American women and HIV prevention was included to illustrate how religious social capital can be developed and optimized to promote health. CONCLUSION: Religious social capital is defined as increased individual and collective capabilities that result from voluntary and reciprocal participation in bonding, bridging, or linking social network relationships and activities. Religious social capital is an accessible resource that can be leveraged to improve minority health.

  PublisherDOI

• “No reason for children to go hungry”: Rural U.S. caregivers’ perceptions of elected officials and their impacts on food policy

  PLoS ONE · 2025-07-22 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  In the context of the increasingly polarized U.S. political environments of the 2016 and 2020 elections, how did rural caregivers think about food and health policies? To answer this question, researchers interviewed 50 low-income women living in two rural N.C. counties in 2016/7 and 2020 as part of a broader longitudinal qualitative study of family food environments. As participants reflected on elections and food assistance policies, caregivers focused on their experiences as mothers and described current or potential policies and programs in light of how they would impact their children. Caregivers also made recommendations for universal and inclusive policies that would improve their access to food. However, their responses were also racialized, with White caregivers more likely to use tropes of "deservingness" when discussing public benefits. To improve food security in rural areas, researchers should center rural low-income women's perspectives when developing food policy, particularly given the important role mothers play in feeding their families and mitigating the impacts of food insecurity.

  PublisherDOI

• Dyadic Peer Support to Improve Diet and Physical Activity Among African American Church Members: An Exploratory Study

  UNC Libraries · 2025-03-22

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Food Insecurity Associated with Higher Stress, Depressive Symptoms, and Lower Diet Quality among Women Caregivers in North Carolina

  Nutrients · 2024-07-31 · 8 citations

  articleOpen access

  Background: Research suggests a bidirectional relationship between food insecurity and stress, but few studies have examined associations of food insecurity with stress and other indicators of cardiometabolic health, including depression, diet quality, and body weight, among lower-income women in the U.S. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from lower-income women caregivers living in North Carolina (n = 100): 42% Black/African American, 25% Hispanic/Latina, and 33% White women. Multivariable linear regression models were used to determine associations of food insecurity status with perceived stress, depressive symptoms, diet quality, and body mass index (BMI). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine associations of food insecurity with clinical depression and BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2. Associations were examined with and without adjustment for perceived stress. Results: Forty-two percent of the sample were experiencing food insecurity. Compared to food secure caregivers, food-insecure caregivers had significantly higher perceived stress (β: +7.51; 95%CI: 4.19, 10.84) and depressive symptoms (β: +3.55; 95%CI: 0.54, 6.56) and lower diet quality (β: −9.10; 95%CI: −15.81, −2.40). Associations with BMI outcomes were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Findings support removing stigma in nutrition assistance programs and clinical interactions, motivate future longitudinal studies, and inform the development of destigmatizing interventions for health promotion or disease prevention.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Improving Unequal Food Access Requires Understanding and Addressing the Social Inequalities That Contribute to It

  American Journal of Public Health · 2023-03-08 · 3 citations

  letterOpen accessSenior author

  AffiliationsSarah Bowen is with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh. Annie Hardison-Moody is with the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences, North Carolina State University.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Addressing and preventing food and housing insecurity among college students: An asset-based approach

  Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · 2023-03-16 · 9 citations

  articleOpen access

  Universities have implemented a range of initiatives to address food and housing insecurity, but few studies have examined how campus communities are engaging around these issues. This article explores how North Carolina State University conducted asset-mapping workshops, a community-based participatory research (CBPR) method, to mobilize the campus community and identify solutions to address the root causes of food insecurity and other forms of basic needs insecurity among students. Workshop participants identified exemplary resources focused on addressing students’ immediate needs (e.g., campus food pantries, a student emergency fund). At the same time, they stated that basic needs insecurity is tied to longer-term, systemic issues like wage inequality and a lack of affordable housing. Participants also noted that historically marginalized students (e.g., LGBTQ+, low-income, first-generation college) often experience food and housing insecurity in complex ways requiring targeted solutions. Our results suggest that CBPR methods like asset mapping offer an approach that, when done well, can center the voices and experiences of diverse campus populations to identify and address the complex structural and systemic processes that shape students’ experiences of food and housing insecurity.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Food insecurity among households with children during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic

  Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · 2023-06-05 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Understanding impacts of the COVID-19 pan­demic among households with children is neces­sary to design appropriate public health responses that protect food and nutrition security. The objec­tive of this research was to understand predictors of food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic among households with at least one child (<18 years), including whether foods reported as out-of-stock were associated with the likelihood of food insecurity. An online survey using validated measures and open-ended questions was distrib­uted to a convenience sample in five states—Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina, Oregon, and West Virginia—during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic (April through September of 2020). Predictors of food insecurity (race/ethnicity, age, marital status, education, federal nutrition assistance program participation, number of adults and children in the household, rurality, and missing foods when shopping) among households with children during the COVID-19 pandemic were modeled using logistic regression (p < 0.05, a priori). To further illuminate household experiences during this time, two researchers independently coded open-ended survey question data using inductive and deductive approaches to construct themes. Households with children had increased odds of experiencing food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic if they had the following characteristics: Hispanic ethnicity; age between 25 and 44 years; additional adult household members; economic hardship; SNAP/WIC participation; being widowed, divorced, or separated; and report­ing foods not available when shopping. Partici­pants described mainly negative changes to dietary patterns and practices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also described food security chal­lenges and ideas for improving food security. Con­sistent with other data collected and analyzed dur­ing the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study contributes findings that emphasize the need for enhanced public health responses and emer­gency preparedness measures that protect food and nutrition security. Because of the increased short- and long-term consequences including exposure to adverse circumstances, impaired learning, risks to mental health, and poor health outcomes, ensuring an adequate food supply is especially important for households with children.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Awards & honors

• 2025: Alumni Outstanding Engagement Scholarship Award, NC St…
• 2025: Outstanding Extension Award, NC State University
• 2023: Group Recipient Award for Equity for Women Awards, NC…
• 2019: World Leisure Organization, Innovation Prize, Highly R…
• 2018: Jeanne M. Priester Award for Community Programming (Te…