Cara L. Cuite, Ph.D.

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Biography

Cara Cuite is an Associate Extension Specialist and Associate Professor in the Department of Human Ecology at Rutgers University.  Dr. Cuite is a health psychologist who studies food insecurity, as well as risk communication and public perceptions of food-related issues, including food safety and genetically engineered foods. She also studies communication about weather-related emergencies and interventions to reduce household food, energy, and water use. Her work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the United States Department of Agriculture, and New Jersey Sea Grant. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Rutgers University and a B.S. in Psychology and Modern Languages from Union College.

Recent Publications

Rebecca L. Hagedorn-Hatfield, Zubaida Qamar, Rickelle Richards, Megan M. Patton-López, Mateja R. Savoie-Roskos, Emily K. Heying, Matthew J. Landry, Georgianna Mann, Jody L. Vogelzang, Kendra OoNorasak, Cara L. Cuite & Lanae B. Hood (2023) Barriers and facilitators to implementing and sustaining campus food insecurity initiatives, Studies in Higher Education 10.1080/03075079.2023.2195414

Caggiano, H; Sonya Ahamed; William Lytle; Chelsea Schelly; Kristin Floress; Cuite, C.L.; Rachael Shwom. (2023). Green roles at home: Exploring the impact of household social dynamic processes on consumption at the food-energy-water (FEW) nexus; Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. 10.1007/s13412-023-00824-x

Ahamed, S., Caggiano, H. Shwom, R., Cuite, C., Schelly, C., Floress, K., Lytle, W., Watkins, D., Wallace, C., and Cook, R. (2023). “Being able to work has kept our life fairly constant:” Reconciling social practice models to assess the impact of (infra)structural inequities on household wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability. 10.1088/2634-4505/acc272

Kumar, P, Caggiano, H., Cuite, C.L., Shwom, R., Felder, F. (2023). Analyzing spillovers from food, energy, and water conservation behaviors using insights from systems perspective. Behavioral Public Policy. 10.1017/bpp.2022.41

Cuite, C.L., Dietz, K., Bates, L. & Brescia, S. (2023). Changes in food security status during undergraduate enrollment. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 55(2). 86-95.   10.1016/j.jneb.2022.08.004

Kumar, P, Caggiano, H., Cuite, C., Andrews, C., Felder, F. Shwom, R., Floress, K., Ahamed, S., Shelley, C. (2022). Behaving or not? Explaining energy conservation via identity, values, and awareness in U.S. suburban homes. Energy Research and Social Science 92. 10.1016/j.erss.2022.102805

Brescia, S., & Cuite, C.L. (2022). Underestimating college student food insecurity: Marginally food secure students may not be food secure. Nutrients 14(15), 3142. 10.3390/nu14153142

Hagedorn-Hatfield, R. Richards, R., Qamar, Z., Hood, L., Landry, M., Savoie-Roskos, M., Vogelzang, J., Machado, S., OoNorasak, K., Cuite, C., Heying, C., Patton-López, M., Snelling, A. (in press). Campus-based programs to address food insecurity vary in leadership, funding, and evaluation strategies. Nutrition Bulletin. 47(3), 322-332. 10.1111/nbu.12570

Cuite, C.L. & Errickson, L. (2022). Food insecurity programming in urban areas: A case study of New Brunswick, NJ. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 10(2), 26-43. scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/jhse/vol10/iss2/5/

Qamar, Z, Hagedorn-Hatfield, R.L, Gray, V.B., Shilts, M., Cuite, CL. (2022). Re-envisioning nutrition instruction in higher education. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 54(3), 199-200. 10.1016/j.jneb.2022.01.003

Floress, K., Shwom, R., Caggiano, H., Slattery, J., Cuite, C.L., Schelley, C., Halvorson, K., Lytle, W. (2022). Habitual food, energy, and water consumption behaviors among adults in the United States: Comparing models of values, norms, and identity. Energy Research & Social Science, 85. 10.1016/j.erss.2021.102396

Caggiano, H., Kumar, P., Axsen, J., Cuite, C., Shwom, R. (2021). Explaining green technology purchases by US and Canadian households: The role of pro-environmental lifestyles, values, and environmental concern. Energy Efficiency, 14(46). 10.1007/s12053-021-09959-8

Shukaitis, J., Elnakib, S. Cuite, C.L., (2021). Yumbox: A tool to improve the quality of preschoolers’ lunches. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 53(8), 719-723. 10.1016/j.jneb.2021.04.007

Howansky, K., Nucci, M., Cuite, C.L., & Jordan, R. (2021) What I know, what I think I know, how I act, & why I don’t: Examining students’ self-assessed vs. scientific knowledge about climate change. Journal of Sustainability Education, 25. www.susted.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Howansky-JSE-PDF.pdf

Cuite, C.L., Morss, R., Demuth, J., & Hallman, W. (2021). Hurricanes vs. Nor’easters: The effects of storm type on perceived severity and protective actions. Bulletin of American Meteorological Society 102(7), E1306–E1316. 10.1175/BAMS-D-19-0043.1

McKeon, G., Shukaitis, J., Cuite, C.L. (2021). Teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards breakfast in the classroom: The importance of health. The Journal of School Health, 91(9), 741-749. 10.1111/josh.13064

Shukaitis, J., McKeon, G., & Cuite, C.L. (2020). Breakfast After the Bell: Understanding the student experience. The Journal of the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences. 15, 51-55. neafcs.memberclicks.net/assets/documents/journal/2020-jneafcs/2020-JNEAFCS-FINAL-Compressed.pdf

Cuite, C.L., Brescia, S., Errickson, L., & Sawatzky, A. (2020). Farm-based programming for food insecure college students. Journal of Extension, 58(6), #18. tigerprints.clemson.edu/joe/vol58/iss6/18/

Ismail, M. & Cuite, C.L. (2020). Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program access and fresh fruit and vegetable home delivery for homebound older adults. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension. 8(3), 135-154. www.jhseonline.com/article/view/1092

Kuang, L., Burgess, B., Cuite, C.L. Tepper, B., & Hallman, W. (2020). Sensory acceptability and willingness to buy foods presented as having benefits achieved through the use of nanotechnology. Food Quality and Preference. 83, 103922. 10.1016/j.foodqual.2020.103922

Food Security Reports

• Basic Needs Insecurity Among Rutgers–New Brunswick Students (2020) (955k PDF)
• Evaluation of Breakfast After the Bell in the New Brunswick Public Schools (2019) (661k PDF)
• Food Insecurity Among Students At Rutgers University – New Brunswick (2018) (1mb PDF)
• New Brunswick Community Food Assessment (2017) (5mb PDF)

Syllabi

• Honors College Byrne Seminar Hunger and Food Insecurity in New Brunswick: A Service Learning Approach (881k PDF)
• Research Methods in Human Ecology Data Analysis in Human Ecology (700k PDF)
• Data Analysis in Human Ecology (163k PDF)
• Hunger and Food Insecurity in New Brunswick: A Service Learning Approach (494k PDF)
• Rutgers 250: A Culinary History (455k PDF)