Obesity Thunder Bay Promoting Health Equity through Shared Accountability: November 2014 FRONT BURNER NEWS Navajo Lawmakers Approve Junk Food Tax The Navajo Nation Council approved a tax on junk food sold on the country's largest reservation, tribal officials recently announced. Read more. Efforts to Roll Back Nutrition Standards Hinder Childhood Obesity Fight Efforts to roll back current nutritional standards for the National School Lunch Program could jeopardize gains made in the fight against childhood obesity, according to an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Read more. Experiencing Weight Stigma Leads to Pessimistic Thoughts People who have been the target of weight discrimination—and who believe the practice is widespread—are more likely to give up on exercise than to try to lose weight, according to a study published in Health Psychology. Read more. Obesity Costs the Global Economy $2 Trillion per Year Obesity costs the global economy as much as war and terrorism, totaling $2 trillion each year, according to a report by the McKinsey Global Institute. Read more. School Lunches Healthier than Packed Lunches School lunches offer better average nutrition than packed lunches, according to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. Read more. Rudd Center Featured in 2014 Good Food Org Guide The Rudd Center was featured in the first annual Good Food Org Guide, developed by The James Beard Foundation and Food Tank, along with an advisory group of food system experts. The guide highlights nonprofit organizations that are doing exemplary work in the United States on food and agriculture, nutrition and health, hunger and obesity, and food justice. Read more. New York Issues New Health Rules for Day Care Centers New York authorities recently issued new rules requiring licensed day care centers to serve low-fat milk, water, or 100 percent juice to help prevent obesity. In addition, children must participate in physical activity every day, and screen-time activities must be limited during the day care program. Read more. California Parents Support Strong School Nutrition Standards Three out of four parents of school-age children in California support current national nutrition standards for food and drinks sold in schools, according to a poll recently released by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and The California Endowment. Read more. American’s View on Obesity is Changing Fewer American adults see obesity as a personal problem of bad choices but instead as a community problem of shared risks, according to research presented at ObesityWeek. Read more. Dietary Habits Start Early and Depend on Socioeconomic Status There are considerable differences in the solid foods babies from different socioeconomic classes are fed, according to researchers at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine. Diets high in sugar and fat were found to be associated with less educated mothers and poorer households, while diets that more closely followed infant feeding guidelines were linked to higher education and higher socioeconomic status. Read more. Weight Stigma Remains after Weight Loss The stigma of obesity is so strong that it can remain even after the stigmatized person loses weight, according to research published in the journal Sociological Inquiry. Read more. Converting Grams of Sugar to Teaspoons on Nutrition Label Congressman Tim Ryan, is calling on the FDA to change sugar measurements from grams to the more commonly understood teaspoons. Read more. VOICES The Soda Industry Met Its Match in Berkeley In many ways, it's not surprising that Berkeley, a city famous for its progressiveness, is the first in the country to pass a soda tax, according to Roberto Ferdman of the Washington Post. Berkeley, after all, has repeatedly been at the forefront of other health legislation, especially stringent smoking laws, asserts Ferdman. He questions whether other cities will be inspired by Berkeley’s successful passing of a soda tax. Read more. Why the Soda Tax Didn’t Pass in San Francisco Dana Woldow, healthy food advocate, explains why Berkeley’s soda tax measure fared better than San Francisco’s in BeyondChron. Read more. What Big Soda’s Spending can Buy Anne Stuhldreher, a San Francisco parent, wishes Big Soda had spent the mountain of cash to defeat the San Francisco’s soda tax in a different way, for example, to keep Bay Area kids healthy and active. She provides an illustration on what the industry could have accomplished with that $10.4 million. Read more. Why Would Some Schools Want Less Healthy Lunches? Since 2012, public schools have been using updated nutrition standards. The changes, mandated by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA), are simple and sensible and have even helped the schools bring in more money. Dr. Claire McCarthy, primary care pediatrician at Boston Children's Hospital questions why some schools want to drop the program in her latest blog post in Boston.com. Read more. SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGES/TAXES University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics to Remove Sugary Drinks University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, UW Medical Foundation and American Family Children's Hospital will adopt a new beverage policy that reinforces its ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of its patients, families, faculty and staff. Read more. Berkeley's Soda Tax Could be a Model for Tackling Obesity Backers of Berkeley’s new soda tax say their victory is proof that Americans are ready to begin regulating the causes of the country’s obesity and diabetes epidemic. Read more. New York Policy Maker Proposes Warning Labels on Sugary Drinks Brooklyn, New York lawmaker Karim Camara is proposing a state law requiring sugary sodas to carry a warning label: "SAFETY WARNING: DRINKING BEVERAGES WITH ADDED SUGAR CONTRIBUTES TO OBESITY, DIABETES AND TOOTH DECAY." Read more. FOOD MARKETING Fast Food Marketing to Children Disproportionately Targets Certain Communities Fast food restaurants more aggressively target children living in middle-income neighborhoods, rural communities, and largely black neighborhoods, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Read more. Researchers Urge Retailers to Replace Kids’ "Eye Level" Junk Food Policies that place healthier food items at children's eye level could encourage families and children to eat more healthfully, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Read more. Rudd Center Releases Sugary Drink FACTS 2014 Sugary Drink FACTS Beverage companies spent $866 million to advertise unhealthy drinks in 2013, and children and teens remained key target audiences for that advertising, according to a new report released today by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. The report, Sugary Drink FACTS 2014, highlights some progress in beverage marketing to young people, but also shows that companies still have a long way to go to improve their marketing practices and the nutritional quality of their products. While the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) regulates advertising placed in TV and other media where 35% or more of the audience is made up of children aged 11 and under, this report measures total exposure to TV advertising for sugary drinks by preschoolers (2-5), children (6-11) and teenagers (12-17), as well as other forms of marketing they encounter. "Despite promises by major beverage companies to be part of the solution in addressing childhood obesity, our report shows that companies continue to market their unhealthy products directly to children and teens," said Jennifer Harris, PhD, Yale Rudd Center’s Director of Marketing Initiatives and lead author of the report. "They have also rapidly expanded marketing in social and mobile media that are popular with young people, but much more difficult for parents to monitor." Sugary Drink FACTS 2014, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, updates a 2011 report on the same topic. Using the same methods, researchers examined changes in the nutritional content of sugar-sweetened drinks including sodas, fruit drinks, flavored waters, sports drinks, iced teas, as well as zero-calorie energy drinks and shots. They also analyzed marketing tactics for 23 companies that advertised these products, including the amount spent to advertise in all media; child and teen exposure to advertising and brand appearances on TV and visits to beverage company websites, including differences for black and Hispanic youth; advertising on websites popular with children and teens; and marketing in newer media like mobile apps and social media. Researchers also examined changes in advertising of diet beverages, 100% juice, and water. The authors assert that their analysis points out several shortcomings of the CFBAI. "Industry self-regulation only limits advertising on a fraction of the TV shows and websites that youth see, and classifies children as adults the day they turn 12 years old," said Marlene Schwartz, PhD, Director of the Rudd Center. "Our children deserve to grow up in a culture where they are exposed to messages that promote health, not sugar and caffeine.” The authors recommend that companies who market sugary drinks to children should stop doing so, and make an effort to develop drinks with no artificial sweeteners that contain fewer than 40 calories. Parents should read labels carefully, even if a label says the drink is healthy. And finally, policy makers should focus their attention on labeling that includes calories, added sugar and artificial sweeteners. Dr. Harris presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association. More detailed findings of the report can be found here. The report garnered significant attention from the media, industry, and policy makers. The report’s website, sugarydrinkfacts.org, contains links to the full report, report summary, a video, and tools for consumers and researchers. Berkeley Passes the first U.S. Soda Tax Berkeley has become the nation's first city to pass a soda tax. With a majority required for passage, more than three-quarters of the votes supported placing a 1-cent-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks in an effort to reduce consumption and combat diet-related diseases like diabetes and obesity. The tax will go into effect on January 1, 2015. "The passing of Measure D shows how committed the city and citizens of Berkeley are to health and nutrition," said Marlene Schwartz, PhD, Rudd Center Director. "Research shows that soda and other sugary drinks are the number one single source of sugar in the American diet and contribute to diet-related diseases like obesity and diabetes. By passing Measure D, the Berkeley community is raising awareness about the link between sugary drinks and these diseases, raising revenue for community programs, and reducing consumption of these harmful drinks. This is an important development that will pave the way for similar policies across the country." In San Francisco, the soda tax measure fell short of the two-thirds majority of votes required for passage, but surpassed many polling expectations. Both ballot measures prompted massive spending by the beverage industry. The opposition, funded mostly by the American Beverage Association, spent more than $9 million in San Francisco and more than $2 million in Berkeley to fight the measures. "The amount of money the industry spent to fight the Berkeley and San Francisco initiatives shows the world the extreme measures it will take to combat any attempt at making the price of sugary beverages more accurately reflect their true cost to society,” said Schwartz. Through these initiatives, public health advocates have made significant gains in raising awareness about the harms of sugary beverages. We will continue to work hard to ensure that all communities have the opportunity to be healthy and will continue to urge municipalities, states, and the federal government to adopt policies to better protect and improve the public’s health.” The idea of taxing nutritionally poor foods and beverages was first introduced in 1994 by the Rudd Center’s former Director, Kelly Brownell, PhD, who published a New York Times op-ed about the issue entitled "Get Slim With Higher Taxes." The Rudd Center’s Revenue Calculator for Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes produces expected revenue by state, city, tax per ounce, and type of beverage. Rudd Center’s Director Awarded Sarah E. Samuels Award Rudd Center’s Director, Marlene Schwartz, PhD, was awarded the 2014 American Public Health Association, Food & Nutrition Section's Sarah Samuels Award. The award honors the memory of Sarah Samuels, who dedicated her life and career to improving the public’s health and was passionate about mentoring young public health professionals. Dr. Samuels was a pioneer in the field of nutrition and physical activity research and evaluation, and a tireless crusader for improving the public’s health. She influenced public health thought and practice through her mentorship, participation on advisory boards, and numerous presentations and publications. She was a collaborator, visionary, and original thinker. Dr. Schwartz was presented the award during the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Rudd Center’s Deputy Director Delivers ObesityWeek’s Integrated Health Keynote Rudd Center’s Deputy Director, Rebecca Puhl, PhD, was the Integrated Health Keynote Speaker for ObesityWeek, an international event focused on the basic science, clinical application, prevention of, and surgical intervention on obesity. Hosted by The Obesity Society and The American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery, ObesityWeek brought together world-renowned experts in obesity to share the latest innovations and breakthroughs in science. In her keynote address, Puhl spoke about how weight bias interferes with efforts to effectively address obesity. Negative attitudes about excess body weight are rarely challenged and have become so socially acceptable that even healthcare providers are not immune to them, asserted Puhl. She challenged providers to examine how their implicit biases may affect how they communicate and interact with patients. New Web Resources Kick the Can Kick the Can is a resource for advocates working to limit sugary drink consumption in their communities. Kick the Can provides users with tools and information to start a movement in their community. Why Weight? A Guide to Discussing Obesity & Health With Your Patients Produced by The Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance, this tool equips physicians with skills for building a safe, trusting environment with patients and facilitating productive conversations about weight. SugarScience Created by Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, SugarScience is an authoritative source for the scientific evidence on sugar's impact on health. The goal of SugarScience is to make this information available to the lay public, and to help individuals and communities make healthy choices. Salud Heros! Salud America! has recently released six new videos of Salud Heroes who have worked hard to reduce sugary drink consumption and increase healthier marketing among Latino kids. Just Published by the Rudd Center Americans Support Anti-Bullying Laws that Address Physical Appearance and Weight Despite significant physical, emotional, social, and academic consequences of bullying among youth, there are no federal laws that currently prohibit bullying in schools, and the comprehensiveness of anti-bullying laws varies considerably from state to state. However, there is considerable support among American adults for comprehensive anti-bullying laws at both the state and federal level, according to a study led by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. The study is published in the Journal of Public Health Policy. Only eighteen states have passed anti-bullying laws that identify distinguishing characteristics that apply to students who may me more vulnerable to bullying because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. The Rudd Center’s study is the first to examine public attitudes toward different types of state anti-bullying laws. These laws vary according to whether or not they enumerate distinguishing characteristics. Body weight as a characteristic is absent in most laws. Researchers surveyed over 1,000 U.S. adults to assess their support for different types of state anti-bullying laws with particular attention to whether or not "body weight" should be included or omitted as a distinguishing characteristic. Approximately 2/3 of respondents support anti-bullying laws that enumerate distinguishing characteristics, and respondents were generally likely to support laws that include wording on physical appearance or body weight in addition to other characteristics that are typically listed. "Given the high prevalence of weight-based bullying in youth and the lack of existing measures to protect this vulnerable population, more comprehensive anti-bullying statutes that address ‘physical appearance’ or ‘body weight’ seems warranted," said lead author and Rudd Center’s Deputy Director, Rebecca Puhl, PhD. "Our findings suggest that there is little justification to exclude body weight or physical appearance from anti-bullying statutes." The authors assert that this study will inform the ongoing political and legal discourse about anti-bullying statutes, and encourage the addition of language to protect youth who are bullied because of their weight. Co-authors include Joerg Luedicke, a Senior Scientist at StataCorp, and Kelly King, Student at Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University. Obesity among American Workers Costs the Nations Billions in Lost Productivity Obesity is associated with significant increases in absenteeism among American workers and costs the nation over $8 billion per year in lost productivity, according to a study recently published by the Rudd Center. The study suggests that the health consequences of obesity negatively impact the workforce, and in turn create a significant financial challenge for the nation as well as individual states. Published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the study is the first of its kind to provide state-level estimates of the obesity-attributable costs of absenteeism among working adults in the United States. The researchers used nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance to calculate the estimates. Obesity-attributable absenteeism costs ranged across states from $14.4 million (Wyoming) to $907 million (California) per year. Overall, the total national loss in productivity was estimated to be $8.65 billion per year, which is 9.3% of all absenteeism costs. Previous research shows that obesity-related illnesses incur considerable costs, but this new study indicates even greater costs to society because of higher production and a less competitive workforce. "Understanding all economic costs of obesity, including lost productivity, is critical for policymakers working on obesity prevention at any level,” notes lead author, Tatiana Andreyeva, PhD, the Rudd Center’s Director of Economic Initiatives. "Quantifying not just obesity-related health care costs but also economic costs is essential for informed decision making." Co-authors include Joerg Luedicke, a senior scientist at StataCorp, and Y. Claire Wang, Assistant Professor at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. Yale_Rudd_Center Unsubscribe • Newsletter Archive • Seminar Series FacebookTwitteriTnesYouTubeRSSPinteres

Wednesday, 26 November 2014

November 2014 FRONT BURNER NEWS Navajo Lawmakers Approve Junk Food Tax The Navajo Nation Council approved a tax on junk food sold on the country's largest reservation, tribal officials recently announced. Read more. Efforts to Roll Back Nutrition Standards Hinder Childhood Obesity Fight Efforts to roll back current nutritional standards for the National School Lunch Program could jeopardize gains made in the fight against childhood obesity, according to an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Read more. Experiencing Weight Stigma Leads to Pessimistic Thoughts People who have been the target of weight discrimination—and who believe the practice is widespread—are more likely to give up on exercise than to try to lose weight, according to a study published in Health Psychology. Read more. Obesity Costs the Global Economy $2 Trillion per Year Obesity costs the global economy as much as war and terrorism, totaling $2 trillion each year, according to a report by the McKinsey Global Institute. Read more. School Lunches Healthier than Packed Lunches School lunches offer better average nutrition than packed lunches, according to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. Read more. Rudd Center Featured in 2014 Good Food Org Guide The Rudd Center was featured in the first annual Good Food Org Guide, developed by The James Beard Foundation and Food Tank, along with an advisory group of food system experts. The guide highlights nonprofit organizations that are doing exemplary work in the United States on food and agriculture, nutrition and health, hunger and obesity, and food justice. Read more. New York Issues New Health Rules for Day Care Centers New York authorities recently issued new rules requiring licensed day care centers to serve low-fat milk, water, or 100 percent juice to help prevent obesity. In addition, children must participate in physical activity every day, and screen-time activities must be limited during the day care program. Read more. California Parents Support Strong School Nutrition Standards Three out of four parents of school-age children in California support current national nutrition standards for food and drinks sold in schools, according to a poll recently released by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and The California Endowment. Read more. American’s View on Obesity is Changing Fewer American adults see obesity as a personal problem of bad choices but instead as a community problem of shared risks, according to research presented at ObesityWeek. Read more. Dietary Habits Start Early and Depend on Socioeconomic Status There are considerable differences in the solid foods babies from different socioeconomic classes are fed, according to researchers at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine. Diets high in sugar and fat were found to be associated with less educated mothers and poorer households, while diets that more closely followed infant feeding guidelines were linked to higher education and higher socioeconomic status. Read more. Weight Stigma Remains after Weight Loss The stigma of obesity is so strong that it can remain even after the stigmatized person loses weight, according to research published in the journal Sociological Inquiry. Read more. Converting Grams of Sugar to Teaspoons on Nutrition Label Congressman Tim Ryan, is calling on the FDA to change sugar measurements from grams to the more commonly understood teaspoons. Read more. VOICES The Soda Industry Met Its Match in Berkeley In many ways, it's not surprising that Berkeley, a city famous for its progressiveness, is the first in the country to pass a soda tax, according to Roberto Ferdman of the Washington Post. Berkeley, after all, has repeatedly been at the forefront of other health legislation, especially stringent smoking laws, asserts Ferdman. He questions whether other cities will be inspired by Berkeley’s successful passing of a soda tax. Read more. Why the Soda Tax Didn’t Pass in San Francisco Dana Woldow, healthy food advocate, explains why Berkeley’s soda tax measure fared better than San Francisco’s in BeyondChron. Read more. What Big Soda’s Spending can Buy Anne Stuhldreher, a San Francisco parent, wishes Big Soda had spent the mountain of cash to defeat the San Francisco’s soda tax in a different way, for example, to keep Bay Area kids healthy and active. She provides an illustration on what the industry could have accomplished with that $10.4 million. Read more. Why Would Some Schools Want Less Healthy Lunches? Since 2012, public schools have been using updated nutrition standards. The changes, mandated by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA), are simple and sensible and have even helped the schools bring in more money. Dr. Claire McCarthy, primary care pediatrician at Boston Children's Hospital questions why some schools want to drop the program in her latest blog post in Boston.com. Read more. SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGES/TAXES University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics to Remove Sugary Drinks University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, UW Medical Foundation and American Family Children's Hospital will adopt a new beverage policy that reinforces its ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of its patients, families, faculty and staff. Read more. Berkeley's Soda Tax Could be a Model for Tackling Obesity Backers of Berkeley’s new soda tax say their victory is proof that Americans are ready to begin regulating the causes of the country’s obesity and diabetes epidemic. Read more. New York Policy Maker Proposes Warning Labels on Sugary Drinks Brooklyn, New York lawmaker Karim Camara is proposing a state law requiring sugary sodas to carry a warning label: "SAFETY WARNING: DRINKING BEVERAGES WITH ADDED SUGAR CONTRIBUTES TO OBESITY, DIABETES AND TOOTH DECAY." Read more. FOOD MARKETING Fast Food Marketing to Children Disproportionately Targets Certain Communities Fast food restaurants more aggressively target children living in middle-income neighborhoods, rural communities, and largely black neighborhoods, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Read more. Researchers Urge Retailers to Replace Kids’ "Eye Level" Junk Food Policies that place healthier food items at children's eye level could encourage families and children to eat more healthfully, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Read more. Rudd Center Releases Sugary Drink FACTS 2014 Sugary Drink FACTS Beverage companies spent $866 million to advertise unhealthy drinks in 2013, and children and teens remained key target audiences for that advertising, according to a new report released today by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. The report, Sugary Drink FACTS 2014, highlights some progress in beverage marketing to young people, but also shows that companies still have a long way to go to improve their marketing practices and the nutritional quality of their products. While the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) regulates advertising placed in TV and other media where 35% or more of the audience is made up of children aged 11 and under, this report measures total exposure to TV advertising for sugary drinks by preschoolers (2-5), children (6-11) and teenagers (12-17), as well as other forms of marketing they encounter. "Despite promises by major beverage companies to be part of the solution in addressing childhood obesity, our report shows that companies continue to market their unhealthy products directly to children and teens," said Jennifer Harris, PhD, Yale Rudd Center’s Director of Marketing Initiatives and lead author of the report. "They have also rapidly expanded marketing in social and mobile media that are popular with young people, but much more difficult for parents to monitor." Sugary Drink FACTS 2014, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, updates a 2011 report on the same topic. Using the same methods, researchers examined changes in the nutritional content of sugar-sweetened drinks including sodas, fruit drinks, flavored waters, sports drinks, iced teas, as well as zero-calorie energy drinks and shots. They also analyzed marketing tactics for 23 companies that advertised these products, including the amount spent to advertise in all media; child and teen exposure to advertising and brand appearances on TV and visits to beverage company websites, including differences for black and Hispanic youth; advertising on websites popular with children and teens; and marketing in newer media like mobile apps and social media. Researchers also examined changes in advertising of diet beverages, 100% juice, and water. The authors assert that their analysis points out several shortcomings of the CFBAI. "Industry self-regulation only limits advertising on a fraction of the TV shows and websites that youth see, and classifies children as adults the day they turn 12 years old," said Marlene Schwartz, PhD, Director of the Rudd Center. "Our children deserve to grow up in a culture where they are exposed to messages that promote health, not sugar and caffeine.” The authors recommend that companies who market sugary drinks to children should stop doing so, and make an effort to develop drinks with no artificial sweeteners that contain fewer than 40 calories. Parents should read labels carefully, even if a label says the drink is healthy. And finally, policy makers should focus their attention on labeling that includes calories, added sugar and artificial sweeteners. Dr. Harris presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association. More detailed findings of the report can be found here. The report garnered significant attention from the media, industry, and policy makers. The report’s website, sugarydrinkfacts.org, contains links to the full report, report summary, a video, and tools for consumers and researchers. Berkeley Passes the first U.S. Soda Tax Berkeley has become the nation's first city to pass a soda tax. With a majority required for passage, more than three-quarters of the votes supported placing a 1-cent-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks in an effort to reduce consumption and combat diet-related diseases like diabetes and obesity. The tax will go into effect on January 1, 2015. "The passing of Measure D shows how committed the city and citizens of Berkeley are to health and nutrition," said Marlene Schwartz, PhD, Rudd Center Director. "Research shows that soda and other sugary drinks are the number one single source of sugar in the American diet and contribute to diet-related diseases like obesity and diabetes. By passing Measure D, the Berkeley community is raising awareness about the link between sugary drinks and these diseases, raising revenue for community programs, and reducing consumption of these harmful drinks. This is an important development that will pave the way for similar policies across the country." In San Francisco, the soda tax measure fell short of the two-thirds majority of votes required for passage, but surpassed many polling expectations. Both ballot measures prompted massive spending by the beverage industry. The opposition, funded mostly by the American Beverage Association, spent more than $9 million in San Francisco and more than $2 million in Berkeley to fight the measures. "The amount of money the industry spent to fight the Berkeley and San Francisco initiatives shows the world the extreme measures it will take to combat any attempt at making the price of sugary beverages more accurately reflect their true cost to society,” said Schwartz. Through these initiatives, public health advocates have made significant gains in raising awareness about the harms of sugary beverages. We will continue to work hard to ensure that all communities have the opportunity to be healthy and will continue to urge municipalities, states, and the federal government to adopt policies to better protect and improve the public’s health.” The idea of taxing nutritionally poor foods and beverages was first introduced in 1994 by the Rudd Center’s former Director, Kelly Brownell, PhD, who published a New York Times op-ed about the issue entitled "Get Slim With Higher Taxes." The Rudd Center’s Revenue Calculator for Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes produces expected revenue by state, city, tax per ounce, and type of beverage. Rudd Center’s Director Awarded Sarah E. Samuels Award Rudd Center’s Director, Marlene Schwartz, PhD, was awarded the 2014 American Public Health Association, Food & Nutrition Section's Sarah Samuels Award. The award honors the memory of Sarah Samuels, who dedicated her life and career to improving the public’s health and was passionate about mentoring young public health professionals. Dr. Samuels was a pioneer in the field of nutrition and physical activity research and evaluation, and a tireless crusader for improving the public’s health. She influenced public health thought and practice through her mentorship, participation on advisory boards, and numerous presentations and publications. She was a collaborator, visionary, and original thinker. Dr. Schwartz was presented the award during the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Rudd Center’s Deputy Director Delivers ObesityWeek’s Integrated Health Keynote Rudd Center’s Deputy Director, Rebecca Puhl, PhD, was the Integrated Health Keynote Speaker for ObesityWeek, an international event focused on the basic science, clinical application, prevention of, and surgical intervention on obesity. Hosted by The Obesity Society and The American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery, ObesityWeek brought together world-renowned experts in obesity to share the latest innovations and breakthroughs in science. In her keynote address, Puhl spoke about how weight bias interferes with efforts to effectively address obesity. Negative attitudes about excess body weight are rarely challenged and have become so socially acceptable that even healthcare providers are not immune to them, asserted Puhl. She challenged providers to examine how their implicit biases may affect how they communicate and interact with patients. New Web Resources Kick the Can Kick the Can is a resource for advocates working to limit sugary drink consumption in their communities. Kick the Can provides users with tools and information to start a movement in their community. Why Weight? A Guide to Discussing Obesity & Health With Your Patients Produced by The Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance, this tool equips physicians with skills for building a safe, trusting environment with patients and facilitating productive conversations about weight. SugarScience Created by Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, SugarScience is an authoritative source for the scientific evidence on sugar's impact on health. The goal of SugarScience is to make this information available to the lay public, and to help individuals and communities make healthy choices. Salud Heros! Salud America! has recently released six new videos of Salud Heroes who have worked hard to reduce sugary drink consumption and increase healthier marketing among Latino kids. Just Published by the Rudd Center Americans Support Anti-Bullying Laws that Address Physical Appearance and Weight Despite significant physical, emotional, social, and academic consequences of bullying among youth, there are no federal laws that currently prohibit bullying in schools, and the comprehensiveness of anti-bullying laws varies considerably from state to state. However, there is considerable support among American adults for comprehensive anti-bullying laws at both the state and federal level, according to a study led by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. The study is published in the Journal of Public Health Policy. Only eighteen states have passed anti-bullying laws that identify distinguishing characteristics that apply to students who may me more vulnerable to bullying because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. The Rudd Center’s study is the first to examine public attitudes toward different types of state anti-bullying laws. These laws vary according to whether or not they enumerate distinguishing characteristics. Body weight as a characteristic is absent in most laws. Researchers surveyed over 1,000 U.S. adults to assess their support for different types of state anti-bullying laws with particular attention to whether or not "body weight" should be included or omitted as a distinguishing characteristic. Approximately 2/3 of respondents support anti-bullying laws that enumerate distinguishing characteristics, and respondents were generally likely to support laws that include wording on physical appearance or body weight in addition to other characteristics that are typically listed. "Given the high prevalence of weight-based bullying in youth and the lack of existing measures to protect this vulnerable population, more comprehensive anti-bullying statutes that address ‘physical appearance’ or ‘body weight’ seems warranted," said lead author and Rudd Center’s Deputy Director, Rebecca Puhl, PhD. "Our findings suggest that there is little justification to exclude body weight or physical appearance from anti-bullying statutes." The authors assert that this study will inform the ongoing political and legal discourse about anti-bullying statutes, and encourage the addition of language to protect youth who are bullied because of their weight. Co-authors include Joerg Luedicke, a Senior Scientist at StataCorp, and Kelly King, Student at Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University. Obesity among American Workers Costs the Nations Billions in Lost Productivity Obesity is associated with significant increases in absenteeism among American workers and costs the nation over $8 billion per year in lost productivity, according to a study recently published by the Rudd Center. The study suggests that the health consequences of obesity negatively impact the workforce, and in turn create a significant financial challenge for the nation as well as individual states. Published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the study is the first of its kind to provide state-level estimates of the obesity-attributable costs of absenteeism among working adults in the United States. The researchers used nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance to calculate the estimates. Obesity-attributable absenteeism costs ranged across states from $14.4 million (Wyoming) to $907 million (California) per year. Overall, the total national loss in productivity was estimated to be $8.65 billion per year, which is 9.3% of all absenteeism costs. Previous research shows that obesity-related illnesses incur considerable costs, but this new study indicates even greater costs to society because of higher production and a less competitive workforce. "Understanding all economic costs of obesity, including lost productivity, is critical for policymakers working on obesity prevention at any level,” notes lead author, Tatiana Andreyeva, PhD, the Rudd Center’s Director of Economic Initiatives. "Quantifying not just obesity-related health care costs but also economic costs is essential for informed decision making." Co-authors include Joerg Luedicke, a senior scientist at StataCorp, and Y. Claire Wang, Assistant Professor at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. Yale_Rudd_Center Unsubscribe • Newsletter Archive • Seminar Series FacebookTwitteriTnesYouTubeRSSPinteres

November 2014

FRONT BURNER NEWS

Navajo Lawmakers Approve Junk Food Tax

The Navajo Nation Council approved a tax on junk food sold on the country's largest reservation, tribal officials recently announced. Read more.

Efforts to Roll Back Nutrition Standards Hinder Childhood Obesity Fight

Efforts to roll back current nutritional standards for the National School Lunch Program could jeopardize gains made in the fight against childhood obesity, according to an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Read more.

Experiencing Weight Stigma Leads to Pessimistic Thoughts

People who have been the target of weight discrimination—and who believe the practice is widespread—are more likely to give up on exercise than to try to lose weight, according to a study published in Health Psychology. Read more.

Obesity Costs the Global Economy $2 Trillion per Year

Obesity costs the global economy as much as war and terrorism, totaling $2 trillion each year, according to a report by the McKinsey Global Institute. Read more.

School Lunches Healthier than Packed Lunches

School lunches offer better average nutrition than packed lunches, according to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. Read more.

Rudd Center Featured in 2014 Good Food Org Guide

The Rudd Center was featured in the first annual Good Food Org Guide, developed by The James Beard Foundation and Food Tank, along with an advisory group of food system experts. The guide highlights nonprofit organizations that are doing exemplary work in the United States on food and agriculture, nutrition and health, hunger and obesity, and food justice. Read more.

New York Issues New Health Rules for Day Care Centers

New York authorities recently issued new rules requiring licensed day care centers to serve low-fat milk, water, or 100 percent juice to help prevent obesity. In addition, children must participate in physical activity every day, and screen-time activities must be limited during the day care program. Read more.

California Parents Support Strong School Nutrition Standards

Three out of four parents of school-age children in California support current national nutrition standards for food and drinks sold in schools, according to a poll recently released by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and The California Endowment. Read more.

American’s View on Obesity is Changing

Fewer American adults see obesity as a personal problem of bad choices but instead as a community problem of shared risks, according to research presented at ObesityWeek. Read more.

Dietary Habits Start Early and Depend on Socioeconomic Status

There are considerable differences in the solid foods babies from different socioeconomic classes are fed, according to researchers at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine. Diets high in sugar and fat were found to be associated with less educated mothers and poorer households, while diets that more closely followed infant feeding guidelines were linked to higher education and higher socioeconomic status. Read more.

Weight Stigma Remains after Weight Loss

The stigma of obesity is so strong that it can remain even after the stigmatized person loses weight, according to research published in the journal Sociological Inquiry. Read more.

Converting Grams of Sugar to Teaspoons on Nutrition Label

Congressman Tim Ryan, is calling on the FDA to change sugar measurements from grams to the more commonly understood teaspoons. Read more.

VOICES

The Soda Industry Met Its Match in Berkeley

In many ways, it's not surprising that Berkeley, a city famous for its progressiveness, is the first in the country to pass a soda tax, according to Roberto Ferdman of the Washington Post. Berkeley, after all, has repeatedly been at the forefront of other health legislation, especially stringent smoking laws, asserts Ferdman. He questions whether other cities will be inspired by Berkeley’s successful passing of a soda tax. Read more.

Why the Soda Tax Didn’t Pass in San Francisco

Dana Woldow, healthy food advocate, explains why Berkeley’s soda tax measure fared better than San Francisco’s in BeyondChron. Read more.

What Big Soda’s Spending can Buy

Anne Stuhldreher, a San Francisco parent, wishes Big Soda had spent the mountain of cash to defeat the San Francisco’s soda tax in a different way, for example, to keep Bay Area kids healthy and active. She provides an illustration on what the industry could have accomplished with that $10.4 million. Read more.

Why Would Some Schools Want Less Healthy Lunches?

Since 2012, public schools have been using updated nutrition standards. The changes, mandated by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA), are simple and sensible and have even helped the schools bring in more money. Dr. Claire McCarthy, primary care pediatrician at Boston Children's Hospital questions why some schools want to drop the program in her latest blog post in Boston.com. Read more.

SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGES/TAXES

University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics to Remove Sugary Drinks

University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, UW Medical Foundation and American Family Children's Hospital will adopt a new beverage policy that reinforces its ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of its patients, families, faculty and staff. Read more.

Berkeley's Soda Tax Could be a Model for Tackling Obesity

Backers of Berkeley’s new soda tax say their victory is proof that Americans are ready to begin regulating the causes of the country’s obesity and diabetes epidemic. Read more.

New York Policy Maker Proposes Warning Labels on Sugary Drinks

Brooklyn, New York lawmaker Karim Camara is proposing a state law requiring sugary sodas to carry a warning label: "SAFETY WARNING: DRINKING BEVERAGES WITH ADDED SUGAR CONTRIBUTES TO OBESITY, DIABETES AND TOOTH DECAY." Read more.

FOOD MARKETING

Fast Food Marketing to Children Disproportionately Targets Certain Communities

Fast food restaurants more aggressively target children living in middle-income neighborhoods, rural communities, and largely black neighborhoods, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Read more.

Researchers Urge Retailers to Replace Kids’ "Eye Level" Junk Food

Policies that place healthier food items at children's eye level could encourage families and children to eat more healthfully, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Read more.

Rudd Center Releases Sugary Drink FACTS 2014

Beverage companies spent $866 million to advertise unhealthy drinks in 2013, and children and teens remained key target audiences for that advertising, according to a new report released today by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. The report, Sugary Drink FACTS 2014, highlights some progress in beverage marketing to young people, but also shows that companies still have a long way to go to improve their marketing practices and the nutritional quality of their products.

While the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) regulates advertising placed in TV and other media where 35% or more of the audience is made up of children aged 11 and under, this report measures total exposure to TV advertising for sugary drinks by preschoolers (2-5), children (6-11) and teenagers (12-17), as well as other forms of marketing they encounter.

"Despite promises by major beverage companies to be part of the solution in addressing childhood obesity, our report shows that companies continue to market their unhealthy products directly to children and teens," said Jennifer Harris, PhD, Yale Rudd Center’s Director of Marketing Initiatives and lead author of the report. "They have also rapidly expanded marketing in social and mobile media that are popular with young people, but much more difficult for parents to monitor."

Sugary Drink FACTS 2014, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, updates a 2011 report on the same topic. Using the same methods, researchers examined changes in the nutritional content of sugar-sweetened drinks including sodas, fruit drinks, flavored waters, sports drinks, iced teas, as well as zero-calorie energy drinks and shots. They also analyzed marketing tactics for 23 companies that advertised these products, including the amount spent to advertise in all media; child and teen exposure to advertising and brand appearances on TV and visits to beverage company websites, including differences for black and Hispanic youth; advertising on websites popular with children and teens; and marketing in newer media like mobile apps and social media. Researchers also examined changes in advertising of diet beverages, 100% juice, and water.

The authors assert that their analysis points out several shortcomings of the CFBAI.

"Industry self-regulation only limits advertising on a fraction of the TV shows and websites that youth see, and classifies children as adults the day they turn 12 years old," said Marlene Schwartz, PhD, Director of the Rudd Center. "Our children deserve to grow up in a culture where they are exposed to messages that promote health, not sugar and caffeine.”

The authors recommend that companies who market sugary drinks to children should stop doing so, and make an effort to develop drinks with no artificial sweeteners that contain fewer than 40 calories. Parents should read labels carefully, even if a label says the drink is healthy. And finally, policy makers should focus their attention on labeling that includes calories, added sugar and artificial sweeteners.

Dr. Harris presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association. More detailed findings of the report can be found here.

The report garnered significant attention from the media, industry, and policy makers. The report’s website, sugarydrinkfacts.org, contains links to the full report, report summary, a video, and tools for consumers and researchers.

Berkeley Passes the first U.S. Soda Tax

Berkeley has become the nation's first city to pass a soda tax. With a majority required for passage, more than three-quarters of the votes supported placing a 1-cent-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks in an effort to reduce consumption and combat diet-related diseases like diabetes and obesity. The tax will go into effect on January 1, 2015.

"The passing of Measure D shows how committed the city and citizens of Berkeley are to health and nutrition," said Marlene Schwartz, PhD, Rudd Center Director. "Research shows that soda and other sugary drinks are the number one single source of sugar in the American diet and contribute to diet-related diseases like obesity and diabetes. By passing Measure D, the Berkeley community is raising awareness about the link between sugary drinks and these diseases, raising revenue for community programs, and reducing consumption of these harmful drinks. This is an important development that will pave the way for similar policies across the country."

In San Francisco, the soda tax measure fell short of the two-thirds majority of votes required for passage, but surpassed many polling expectations.

Both ballot measures prompted massive spending by the beverage industry. The opposition, funded mostly by the American Beverage Association, spent more than $9 million in San Francisco and more than $2 million in Berkeley to fight the measures.

"The amount of money the industry spent to fight the Berkeley and San Francisco initiatives shows the world the extreme measures it will take to combat any attempt at making the price of sugary beverages more accurately reflect their true cost to society,” said Schwartz. Through these initiatives, public health advocates have made significant gains in raising awareness about the harms of sugary beverages. We will continue to work hard to ensure that all communities have the opportunity to be healthy and will continue to urge municipalities, states, and the federal government to adopt policies to better protect and improve the public’s health.”

The idea of taxing nutritionally poor foods and beverages was first introduced in 1994 by the Rudd Center’s former Director, Kelly Brownell, PhD, who published a New York Times op-ed about the issue entitled "Get Slim With Higher Taxes."

The Rudd Center’s Revenue Calculator for Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes produces expected revenue by state, city, tax per ounce, and type of beverage.

Rudd Center’s Director Awarded Sarah E. Samuels Award

Rudd Center’s Director, Marlene Schwartz, PhD, was awarded the 2014 American Public Health Association, Food & Nutrition Section's Sarah Samuels Award.

The award honors the memory of Sarah Samuels, who dedicated her life and career to improving the public’s health and was passionate about mentoring young public health professionals.

Dr. Samuels was a pioneer in the field of nutrition and physical activity research and evaluation, and a tireless crusader for improving the public’s health. She influenced public health thought and practice through her mentorship, participation on advisory boards, and numerous presentations and publications. She was a collaborator, visionary, and original thinker.

Dr. Schwartz was presented the award during the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

Rudd Center’s Deputy Director Delivers ObesityWeek’s Integrated Health Keynote

Rudd Center’s Deputy Director, Rebecca Puhl, PhD, was the Integrated Health Keynote Speaker for ObesityWeek, an international event focused on the basic science, clinical application, prevention of, and surgical intervention on obesity.

Hosted by The Obesity Society and The American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery, ObesityWeek brought together world-renowned experts in obesity to share the latest innovations and breakthroughs in science.

In her keynote address, Puhl spoke about how weight bias interferes with efforts to effectively address obesity. Negative attitudes about excess body weight are rarely challenged and have become so socially acceptable that even healthcare providers are not immune to them, asserted Puhl. She challenged providers to examine how their implicit biases may affect how they communicate and interact with patients.

New Web Resources

Kick the Can

Kick the Can is a resource for advocates working to limit sugary drink consumption in their communities. Kick the Can provides users with tools and information to start a movement in their community.

Why Weight? A Guide to Discussing Obesity & Health With Your Patients

Produced by The Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance, this tool equips physicians with skills for building a safe, trusting environment with patients and facilitating productive conversations about weight.

SugarScience

Created by Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, SugarScience is an authoritative source for the scientific evidence on sugar's impact on health. The goal of SugarScience is to make this information available to the lay public, and to help individuals and communities make healthy choices.

Salud Heros!

Salud America! has recently released six new videos of Salud Heroes who have worked hard to reduce sugary drink consumption and increase healthier marketing among Latino kids.

Just Published by the Rudd Center

Americans Support Anti-Bullying Laws that Address Physical Appearance and Weight

Despite significant physical, emotional, social, and academic consequences of bullying among youth, there are no federal laws that currently prohibit bullying in schools, and the comprehensiveness of anti-bullying laws varies considerably from state to state.

However, there is considerable support among American adults for comprehensive anti-bullying laws at both the state and federal level, according to a study led by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. The study is published in the Journal of Public Health Policy.

Only eighteen states have passed anti-bullying laws that identify distinguishing characteristics that apply to students who may me more vulnerable to bullying because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

The Rudd Center’s study is the first to examine public attitudes toward different types of state anti-bullying laws. These laws vary according to whether or not they enumerate distinguishing characteristics. Body weight as a characteristic is absent in most laws.

Researchers surveyed over 1,000 U.S. adults to assess their support for different types of state anti-bullying laws with particular attention to whether or not "body weight" should be included or omitted as a distinguishing characteristic.

Approximately 2/3 of respondents support anti-bullying laws that enumerate distinguishing characteristics, and respondents were generally likely to support laws that include wording on physical appearance or body weight in addition to other characteristics that are typically listed.

"Given the high prevalence of weight-based bullying in youth and the lack of existing measures to protect this vulnerable population, more comprehensive anti-bullying statutes that address ‘physical appearance’ or ‘body weight’ seems warranted," said lead author and Rudd Center’s Deputy Director, Rebecca Puhl, PhD. "Our findings suggest that there is little justification to exclude body weight or physical appearance from anti-bullying statutes."

The authors assert that this study will inform the ongoing political and legal discourse about anti-bullying statutes, and encourage the addition of language to protect youth who are bullied because of their weight.

Co-authors include Joerg Luedicke, a Senior Scientist at StataCorp, and Kelly King, Student at Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University.

Obesity among American Workers Costs the Nations Billions in Lost Productivity

Obesity is associated with significant increases in absenteeism among American workers and costs the nation over $8 billion per year in lost productivity, according to a study recently published by the Rudd Center. The study suggests that the health consequences of obesity negatively impact the workforce, and in turn create a significant financial challenge for the nation as well as individual states.

Published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the study is the first of its kind to provide state-level estimates of the obesity-attributable costs of absenteeism among working adults in the United States.

The researchers used nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance to calculate the estimates.

Obesity-attributable absenteeism costs ranged across states from $14.4 million (Wyoming) to $907 million (California) per year. Overall, the total national loss in productivity was estimated to be $8.65 billion per year, which is 9.3% of all absenteeism costs.

Previous research shows that obesity-related illnesses incur considerable costs, but this new study indicates even greater costs to society because of higher production and a less competitive workforce.

"Understanding all economic costs of obesity, including lost productivity, is critical for policymakers working on obesity prevention at any level,” notes lead author, Tatiana Andreyeva, PhD, the Rudd Center’s Director of Economic Initiatives. "Quantifying not just obesity-related health care costs but also economic costs is essential for informed decision making."

Co-authors include Joerg Luedicke, a senior scientist at StataCorp, and Y. Claire Wang, Assistant Professor at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.