|
Rudd Center in the News
Our researchers
appeared in news reports in May on topics ranging from Philadelphia's
proposed sugary-drinks tax, to online data-mining of kids' interests and
preferences through schools, to the need for more attention on
weight-based bullying of children.
UConn Rudd Center Deputy Director Rebecca Puhl was quoted in a May 19 Connecticut Post article on
kids in the state being bullied online and in school. Although every
state has anti-bullying laws, "Our research and that of others shows
that being teased about body weight is one of the most prevalent, if not
the most prevalent, form of bullying in the school setting," Puhl told
Hearst Connecticut Media. "The reality is, it's just not on the radar."
Dr. Puhl's multi-national study showing that weight-based bullying is viewed as the most common form of bullying in children was cited May 13 in a Kansas City Star article about a new children's book that addresses the issue.
The May 17 edition of The Washington Post carried a story headlined, "Schools are now ‘soft targets’ for companies to collect data and market to kids – report." The
article described a report by the National Center for Education Policy
at the University of Colorado, finding that "student privacy is
increasingly being compromised by commercial entities that establish
relationships with schools - often providing free technology - and then
track students online and collect massive amounts of data about them.
Then they tailor their advertising to keep the young people connected to
them."
Teens, according to the article, "are especially at risk because they
are online more than young children both in and out of school, and also
because developmentally they are particularly susceptible to targeted
marketing." Our Center is cited in the article: "Jennifer Harris
[Director of Marketing Initiatives] and her colleagues at the University
of Connecticut's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity have argued,
for example, that children need policy protections from unhealthy food
marketing at least until the age of 14."
Dr. Harris appeared on a BBC World Service radio program
on fast-food advertising. She debunked the notion that ads for one
brand of junk food don't really increase overall sales in the category.
"That isn't true, the research clearly shows that the marketing
increases category sales, not just brand preferences," she said.
UConn Rudd Center Director Marlene Schwartz commented in The Philadelphia Inquirer
May 9 about the wide attention the city's proposed sugary drink tax is
receiving. "In my circles, people are talking about Philadelphia
constantly," Schwartz said about Mayor Jim Kenney's 3-cents-per-ounce
sugary drink tax proposal. "Some experts say a win for Kenney in
Philadelphia could be a tipping point for enacting soda taxes in other
major metropolitan areas," the article said. "But both sides are
anxiously watching, particularly because of the unique pitch being used
to sell the levy here." Instead of a public health measure, Kenney
presents the sugary drink tax as a way to fund early childhood
education.
A May 11 opinion piece for Philadelphia public radio's online news, "Philly's soda tax will benefit the poor, not punish them," cited our report showing
that black and Hispanic children are targeted with more TV advertising
for sugary drinks and fast food compared than white children.
|
