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Unhealthy Snack Food Advertising to Children Increased Despite Industry Pledges to Self-Regulate
Children saw substantially more television advertising for unhealthy
snacks in the past five years, comparing 2014 to 2010, according to a
new study,
Snack FACTS, by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the
University of Connecticut. Children's and teen's exposure to TV ads for
unhealthy snacks including cookies, chips, and fruit snacks increased in
this period, despite companies' promises
to market healthier products to children. Companies have developed some
healthier snacks to meet updated national standards for snacks sold in
schools, "Smart Snacks," but with the exception of yogurt, these
healthier products were not advertised to children
on TV or the internet, the new study shows. "Companies have recognized
the business opportunity in marketing healthy snacks to children and
teens in schools. Now they must also recognize that aggressive marketing
of unhealthy snack foods to young people is
not worth the cost to children's health," said Jennifer Harris, the
lead author of the study and the Rudd Center's Director of Marketing
Initiatives.
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New Continuing Medical Education Course Addresses Weight Bias
and Strategies to Improve Health Care Delivery for Patients with
Overweight/Obesity
The Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity and the University of Connecticut School of Medicine have developed an
online Continuing Medical Education Course (CME) for health care
providers to improve the quality of care for patients with overweight
and obesity, and help reduce weight stigmatization in clinical settings.
The novel, free course can be completed online.
"This course responds to increasing calls for training and education to
improve obesity care and prevent negative stigma toward patients with
obesity. For clinicians working with this patient population, the course
equips them with strategies to improve provider-patient
communication, make positive changes in the medical office environment,
and increase awareness of personal biases that could unintentionally
compromise patient care," said Rebecca Puhl, Deputy Director of the
UConn Rudd Center, who led the course development.
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Rudd Center in the News
Jennifer Harris, the
Rudd Center's Director of Marketing Initiatives, was among the public
health researchers and advocates criticizing an integrated-advertising
deal between Pepsi and Fox for the hit TV show
Empire, about a fictional family of hip-hop stars. "Soda consumption is
going down overall, so it would make sense for (Pepsi) to really
reinforce their product with their core users," Dr. Harris told The Wrap
in a Nov. 25 article,
"Critics Slam 'Empire-Pepsi Deal as a 'Public Health Tragedy.'" "The
issue with that is that their product is hurting their core users. So
it's probably good for their bottom line, but it's not good for the
black community."
CNN carried a comprehensive piece entitled
"Kids seeing more unhealthy snack ads" on our Snack FACTS report.
The Nov. 2 article, accompanied by 10 photos of snack ads, quoted
Dr. Harris on the targeting of black and Hispanic youth with ads for
unhealthy snacks. "It's really an irresponsible practice
... given that these minority groups have higher rates of obesity,
diabetes and weight-related conditions," Harris said. The CNN article
was picked up by dozens of other media outlets around the country.
Coinciding with the Nov. 2 release of Snack FACTS at the American Public
Health Association's annual meeting in Chicago, TV news segments and
interviews with Dr. Harris were aired across the country, reaching
millions of viewers in 49 markets. "Companies aren't helping
parents who want to raise healthy kids and get their kids to enjoy the
healthier snack foods, not the junk," she told
KFXV
in Harlingen, TX, for example.
UConn
Today reported on Snack Facts in a Nov. 2 article. Companies
participating in the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative
(CFBAI) have voluntarily pledged not to market unhealthy products like
chips to children ages six to 12, and not to advertise
to children under six at all. Despite these promises, children aged six
to 11 saw 53 percent more TV ads in 2014 than 2010 for snack foods that
companies pledged they would not advertise directly to children under
12.
Many other publications covered Snack FACTS, including JET
magazine, the
Latin Post,
The Daily Meal and
Food Dive. The study was still getting media attention two week after its release in a piece in Fusion.
UConn Today highlighted the
Nov. 3 launch of the Continuing Medical Education
(CME) Course for health care providers to help reduce weight stigmatization in clinical settings.
Timed to coincide with the CME's launch, Rudd Center Deputy Director Rebecca Puhl wrote an article for
Medscape on the inadequate provision of obesity care by health care
professionals. "Education and training are clearly warranted to equip
health care professionals with the appropriate knowledge and tools to
care for patients with obesity and to do so without
reinforcing or communicating bias and stigma," Dr. Puhl said in the
Nov. 3 piece, entitled: Obesity: Treatment Options and Communication
Strategies.
PR Newswire reported
Nov.
6 on a new survey released by the Rudd Center and the Obesity Action
Coalition. The survey of more than 73,000 U.S. adults conducted from
2013 to 2015 showed that, "while there is public recognition that
obesity-focused shaming and blaming is wrong, social
acceptance of people affected by obesity has declined." Dr. Puhl noted,
"This study highlights the need for societal-level efforts to broaden
acceptance of people of diverse body sizes."
Dr. Puhl explained in a Nov. 11 article in
The New York Times, "Is Fat Stigma Making Us Miserable?," that
weight stigmatization and shaming, so common in our society, do not
motivate people to lose weight. "Research shows that the opposite is
true," Dr. Puhl said in the article. "Messages that shame,
blame and stigmatize people about their weight have a negative impact
and interfere with efforts to improve health."
A study co-authored by Tatiana Andreyeva, Rudd Center Director of
Economic Initiatives, found that severe obesity cost the 50 states'
Medicaid programs $8 billion a year, ranging from a low of $5 million in
Wyoming to $1.3 billion in California. Published in
the November edition of the journal
Health Affairs, the
study received media coverage Nov. 3 in
Eureka Alert and
Healthcare Dive.
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What's Simmering with Our Friends
- After hearing from many parents, Applebee's
has become the first family-dining restaurant chain to agree to remove
soda from its kids' menus. The move was praised by the
Center for Science in the Public Interest,
MomsRising.org, the
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, and the UConn Rudd
Center, which together in 2014 launched a campaign to urge all
restaurant chains to remove soda and other sugary drinks from their
children's menus and meals. Applebee's follows fast-food
chains McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and Dairy Queen.
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Rudd Center Employment Opportunities
Postdoctoral Fellow
The UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy
& Obesity invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow position
beginning Summer 2016. Candidates will be expected to contribute to the
research mission of the center addressing the topic
of weight-related stigma. This is a full time, annually renewable
position with a maximum duration of 2 years. This Postdoctoral Fellow
will contribute to research on obesity-related stigma, bullying, and
discrimination under Dr. Rebecca Puhl, Deputy Director
of the Rudd Center, and Professor of Human Development & Family
Studies. Responsibilities will include designing, conducting, and
analyzing research studies, literature reviews, grant writing, and
writing scientific papers.
Job ID: 2016182
Applications are due Dec. 15.
For more information and to apply,
click here.
Postdoctoral Fellow
The UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity invites applications
for a Postdoctoral Fellow position beginning Summer 2016. Candidates
will be expected to contribute to the research mission of the center
addressing food insecurity, nutrition, and health
disparities. This is a full time, annually renewable position with a
maximum duration of 2 years. This Postdoctoral Fellow will contribute to
research on food insecurity, nutrition and health disparities under Dr.
Marlene Schwartz, the Rudd Center Director,
and Professor of Human Development & Family Studies.
Responsibilities include quantitative data collection, community
engagement throughout the research process, data analyses, literature
reviews, grant writing, and writing scientific papers.
Job ID: 2016183
Applications are due Dec. 15.
For more information and to apply,
click here.
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