Learn About Soft Drink Taxes

Taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (also known as soft drinks) can improve public health and generate considerable revenue for states, cities, and the nation. Here are some useful tools:

• LA Times exposé: Investigative article about the beverage industry's response to soft drink taxes.
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• New England Journal of Medicine paper: Leading public health experts, including the Rudd Center's Kelly D. Brownell, present a strong case for the tax.
• Web page: Legislative and legal issues, polling data, publications, research, and web links.
• Revenue calculator: Produces expected revenue by allowing the user to list the tax per ounce and the type of beverages to be taxed.
• Webinar: We held a webinar to discuss the rationale, relevant science, and economic and policy considerations of taxes, and impact of taxes on obesity prevention. The webinar PowerPoint presentation and the webinar recording are available.
• LA Times Op-Ed: Written by the Rudd Center's Kelly D. Brownell and David S. Ludwig of the Harvard Medical School.

New Study Examines the Impact on Children of Food Product Placements in the Movies

New research from the Hood Center for Children and Families at Dartmouth Medical School for the first time sheds light on the significant potential negative impact that food product placements in the movies could be having on children.

The study, which appears in the journal Pediatrics, shows that most of the "brand placements" for food, beverage, and food retail establishments that are frequently portrayed in movies are for energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods or product lines. In addition, the study shows for the first time that product placements in movies may be a far more potent source of advertising to children in terms of food choices than previously understood.

Weight Stigma: Public Health and Social Justice Issue

In a new study on weight stigma published in the American Journal of Public Health, Rudd Center researchers examined evidence to address assumptions about obese persons and discuss their public health implications. On the basis of current findings, the authors proposed that weight stigma is not a beneficial public health tool for reducing obesity. Rather, stigmatization of obese individuals threatens health, generates health disparities, and interferes with effective obesity intervention efforts. These findings highlight weight stigma as both a social justice issue and a priority for public health.