Grantee: Anthony J. Viera

Anthony J. Viera

Anthony J. Viera, M.D., M.P.H.

Family Physician, Public Health Advocate, and Researcher
HCIRB PAST FEATURED GRANTEE
Organization:
  • University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Anthony J. Viera, M.D., M.P.H., is a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Adjunct Professor in Public Health Leadership at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). He received research training through the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program and earned his MPH at UNC. Dr. Viera is passionate about preventing adverse health problems and sees addressing obesity and physical inactivity as the key public health issues of our time.

For example, the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act requires restaurants with 20 locations nationally to display "clear and conspicuous" calorie information on their menus and menu boards. Unfortunately, these types of labels are not having the intended effects. So far, the purchasing differences between foods with and without clear calorie information are slight. One possible reason for this lack of effect is that calorie information is not easy to interpret, especially in the often rushed single-meal context. An alternative and possibly novel approach could be displaying the amount of physical activity required to burn the calories in each of the menu items. Dr. Viera and his team are testing this labeling strategy, which Dr. Viera has termed the Physical Activity Calorie Expenditure (PACE). It is the first large-scale study to look at food labeling of this type.


Several years ago, in an MD-MPH class on prevention strategies, I explained to my students that I didn't think calorie labeling worked. I said to the class (somewhat jokingly at the time!), "They should show how far you have to walk to burn off the calories..."”

Selected Grants

Project Title Grant Number Program Director
Effects of Physical Activity Calorie Expenditure (pace) Food Labeling 5R01CA184473-03 April Oh