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Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Succeeding But Efforts Needed to Improve Nutrition Quality
The federal Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP), commonly referred to
as the food stamp program, is successful in alleviating hunger and
helping lower-income Americans afford enough calories, according to a new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut. The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine,
found that the amount of calories consumed is about the same for SNAP
participants compared to higher-income Americans. However, according to
lead study author Tatiana Andreyeva, the Rudd Center's Director of
Economic Initiatives, "... SNAP participants' diets are of lower
nutritional quality than those of income-eligible and higher-income non
participants." This new comprehensive review, she said, can help SNAP
advocates and policy makers ensure that future policies related to this
vital food assistance program address dietary quality while continuing
to reduce food insecurity.
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Children's Exposure to TV Ads for Candy Increased Substantially After Companies Promised Not to Advertise to Kids
Despite voluntary pledges from candy makers not to advertise to children
11 and under, children viewed substantially more TV ads for candy than
they did four years earlier, when the promises went into effect, according to a new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut. From
2008 to 2011, children's exposure to candy ads on U.S. TV increased 74
percent, according to the study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation and the Rudd Foundation, and published in the journal Appetite.
"Although companies that belong to the (voluntary program) publicly
state that candy should not be advertised directly to children, these
findings clearly demonstrate that they have found many ways to advertise
candy to children without technically violating their pledges not to do
so," said Jennifer Harris, the study's lead author and the Rudd
Center's Director of Marketing Initiatives.
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Rudd Center in the News
Time magazine featured our new study on children's exposure to TV ads for candy, in a Sept. 10 article headlined, "Kids See More Candy Ads on TV Now Than in The Past."
The study shows that candy companies were exploiting loopholes in the
voluntary pledges they made not to advertise candy to young children,
and the need for tightening the definition of child-directed advertising
so that the pledges are meaningful.
UConn Today published a Sept. 11 piece on the report, "Empty Promises: Kids' Exposure to TV Ads for Candy." Medical Daily also covered the new report on Sept. 11. Study author and Rudd Center Research Associate Megan LoDolce was quoted, "Despite candy companies' promises in 2007 to not advertise to children under 12 on TV, children saw substantially more."
MSN ran a Sept. 8 article on how fat-shaming can lead to weight gain. Rudd Center Deputy
Director Rebecca Puhl is quoted in this story, "Stigma and
discrimination are really stressors, and, unfortunately, for many
people, they're chronic stressors. And we know that eating is a common
reaction to stress and anxiety --- that people often engage in more food
consumption or more binge eating in response to stressors, so there is a
logical connection here in terms of some of the maladaptive coping
strategies to try to deal with the stress of being stigmatized." New York Magazine published the story on Sept. 8.
Slate published
an article on fat-shaming on Sept. 11, explaining how weight bias and
stigma can impact health and behaviors. "When people are made to feel
stigmatized or shamed, they are more likely to turn to food or avoid
physical activity," Dr. Puhl said in the piece. "Individual choices and
behavior are small pieces in a larger puzzle, and if we focus on them
we're ignoring everything else."
Rudd Center Director Marlene Schwartz commented in a Sept. 10 CNN Money
article on the staggering number of school children receiving free
lunch. "I think that the people that are trying to make those small
amounts of money stretch and feed all of these children have one of the
hardest jobs...It would be great if there was more funding for them."
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What's Simmering with Our Friends
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