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Rudd Center Recent Publications
Study Calls for Improved Labeling of Toddler Drinks,
Which Lack the Oversight of Infant Formulas
Misleading labeling on
formulas and milks marketed as "toddler drinks" may confuse parents
about their healthfulness or necessity, according to a new study by
researchers at the NYU College of Global Public Health and the Rudd
Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut.
The study, published in the journal Preventive Medicine,
examines how U.S. policies and regulations can support clear and
truthful labeling of toddler drinks, given that international and U.S.
health experts and pediatricians do not recommend them. To foster
healthy toddler diets, the researchers recommend that the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration provide guidance or propose regulations to ensure
appropriate labeling of toddler drinks.
The Right Drink in Preschooler's Lunch
Can Pack A Healthy Punch
Parents who pack lunches for their young children can dramatically
improve the nutrition quality of the meals by including a healthy
beverage - either plain milk or 100 percent fruit juice, according to a
new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the
University of Connecticut and the Michael & Susan Dell Center for
Healthy Living at the University of Texas Health Science Center in
Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health in Austin.
"One of the most important things we found is that it is much easier
than parents may think to pack a healthy lunch," said Maria
Romo-Palafox, a UConn Rudd Center Postdoctoral Fellow and lead author of
the study. "The simplest way to improve the nutrition quality of the
lunch is to include a healthy beverage."
The findings of the study, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,
have important implications for reducing childhood obesity nationally.
Approximately 12 million children (61 percent) spend an average of 33
hours per week in early care and education centers away from home, where
they consume two or more meals and snacks each day, and receive 50
percent to 67 percent of their daily calorie requirements.
State Laws Promoting School Lunch
Make a Difference in Local Practices
Changes in school meal programs stemming from the Healthy, Hunger-Free
Kids Act of 2010 have increased interest in strategies that expand
student participation in school lunch and reduce the amount of wasted
food. However, it is not clear what factors are associated with schools'
use of such strategies.
A new study by
researchers from several universities, including the UConn Rudd Center,
and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that
schools in states with laws promoting school nutrition are doing more to
advance school meals and increase student interest in school lunch than
schools in states without such laws. The study was published in the
Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics.
The researchers examined two types of school meal-related practices that
are both associated with consumption of healthier items - promotional
strategies such as taste tests, announcements, and posters; and
providing students adequate time (at least 30 minutes) to eat their
lunches.
"The results showed that these practices are more likely to be
implemented at schools in states with laws encouraging or requiring
schools to use these approaches," said Lindsey Turner, Research
Associate Professor and Director of the Initiative for Healthy Schools
in the College of Education at Boise State University, and the study's
lead author. "Strategies like taste tests, seeking input from students,
and inviting families to try school meals can all help increase student
interest in school lunch, and this study shows that state laws are a
promising way to support those changes."
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