Weight Bias
A new multinational study by the Rudd Center published online April 28 in the International Journal of Obesity found
similar levels of weight bias across four Western countries, including
the United States. Despite high rates of obesity in each of the
countries - Australia, Canada, Iceland and the U.S. - negative biases
against individuals with obesity are clearly present, and more often
expressed by those who believe obesity reflects poor willpower or lack
of personal responsibility, according to the study. "We hope this
research can stimulate broader discussions about weight bias and ways to
reduce unfair treatment based on body size," said lead author Rebecca
Puhl, Deputy Director of the Rudd Center.
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TV Food Advertising to Children
The Rudd Center has
updated its previous reports on food-related TV ads viewed by children
and adolescents to include 2014 data. Trends in Television Food Advertising to Young People: 2014 Update shows
that categories with more advertising to youth in 2014, compared to
2007, included candy, carbonated beverages, fast-food and other
restaurants, and crackers and savory snacks, as well as yogurt and other
dairy. Ads for bottled water and fruits and vegetables also increased,
but these categories each represented less than two percent of food ads
seen by youth.
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Rudd Center in the News
- A Huffpost Parents piece
posted April 16 on The Blog by a dietitian and mother of two included
five lessons she vowed to teach her children about weight and body shape
- to help "inch away from weight stigma, weight bullying, disordered
eating, eating disorders and body dissatisfaction, all of which
compromise the mental and physical health of people everywhere." The
piece cites Rudd's report, "Weight Bias: A Social Justice Issue."
- The Plate,
a National Geographic feature on food, published an article April 15 on
the topic of taxing sugary drinks and junk food, citing the Rudd
Center's report finding that sugar-sweetened beverages are a major
source of daily calories, especially for kids ages 2-18.
- If other jurisdictions want
to follow the Navajo Nation's success in enacting a "junk food tax,"
they will need to tap into grassroots power and tout similar taxes as
positive, not punitive, measures, according to experts including Renee
Gross, coordinator of legal initiatives for the UConn Rudd Center. Gross
noted in an April 7 article in Law360
that the Navajo Nation couched its tax within a human rights framework,
which gave it a loftier purpose and set it apart from similar
initiatives floated by other communities.
- The Hill carried
a piece by a University of Pennsylvania researcher about a study that
reinforced our findings that parents can be misled about the
healthfulness of beverages they provide to their children. "And with
$784 million spent on advertising to promote sugary drinks," the April 6
article noted, "it is no wonder parents are confused."
- UConn Rudd Center Director
Marlene Schwartz was interviewed at length about her study showing that
students can eat healthier and waste less with the updated federal
school lunch standards. Her interview was the focus of an April 6 Inside School Food radio program, "Reading plate waste."
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What's Simmering with Our Friends
- Prominent child and consumer advocacy
groups have urged the FTC to investigate Google, citing deceptive
advertising targeting children. The complaint letter from groups including Center for Science in the Public Interest and Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood alleges that at least three examples of unfair marketing have been found in the YouTube Kids app. Common Dreams reported on the complaint.
- Salud Today featured an article and petition
urging Taco Bell to stop selling sugary drinks to its customers. Taco
Bell recently added six new sugary drinks to their menu including
Manzanita Sol which has 56 grams of sugar in a 16-ounce drink – well
over the daily limit recommended for children.
- Voices for Healthy Kids publicized an American Heart Association news article on
a congressional hearing in which advocates who support healthier school
meals urged lawmakers not to retreat from the USDA's new standards.
- Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution launched a petition drive
to gain support for compulsory practical food education across the
world, and obtained more than 600,000 signatures the first week.
- Leading public health researchers and
scientists announced their support for proposed legislation in New York
and California to require warning labels on sugary drinks to alert
consumers to health risks related to excessive consumption. The group
was organized by the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the
California Center for Public Health Advocacy. CSPI featured an article on the announcement.
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