Press Releases
6/21/10: Children significantly prefer the taste of junk foods branded with licensed cartoon characters on the packaging, compared with the same foods without characters, finds a new study from the Rudd Center. The study, published in Pediatrics, shows a causal relationship between licensed characters on food packaging and children’s taste and snack preferences.
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6/15/10: American adults are in favor of legislation to prohibit weight discrimination, particularly in the workplace, according to a recent Rudd Center study published online in the journal Obesity. While legislation has been discussed for several decades as a potential solution to prohibit weight discrimination, no such federal laws currently exist.
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5/20/10: Weight discrimination poses serious risks to the psychological and physical health of obese individuals and should be considered a social justice issue as well as a public health priority, according to a paper from the Rudd Center, published in the American Journal of Public Health.
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4/20/10: The Rudd Center has launched two new comprehensive resources to aid journalists, photo editors, bloggers, advertisers and other influencers in the creation and delivery of fair, unbiased coverage of obesity and weight-related topics on television, in print and online.
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3/16/10: PepsiCo announced a voluntary policy to stop sales of full-sugar soft drinks to primary and secondary schools worldwide by 2012. This marks an important development in supporting safe and healthy nutrition for children around the globe and has been commended by Kelly D. Brownell, Rudd Center Director.
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3/4/10: A new legislative database launched by the Rudd Center gives policy makers, journalists, advocates, researchers, and concerned citizens a single online destination for current information on government legislation pertaining to food policy and obesity issues, including access to healthy food, school initiatives, menu labeling, sugar-sweetened beverage taxes, and more. The Legislative Updates database, which tracks federal and state bills filed during the current Congressional and state legislative sessions, provides detailed bill language and status updates.
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3/2/10: Increased personal responsibility certainly will play a role in efforts to combat obesity, but collective action to support enhanced personal responsibility is essential, according to Rudd Center researchers and co-authors in a study published in the March issue of Health Affairs. Government at all levels should use policy and regulation to help make the healthy choice the easy choice to prevent obesity and support individuals' efforts to lead healthy lives.
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2/25/10: Supermarket aisles are enticing young eyeballs with more familiar characters, celebrities, toys, and movie giveaways on food packaging than ever, according to a Rudd Center study. Published in the March 2010 issue of Public Health Nutrition, the study shows a significant increase in the use of youth-oriented cross-promotions on food packaging in the supermarket. Cross-promotions targeted at children and teens increased by 78 percent from 2006 to 2008, the analysis finds, and only 18 percent of products examined met accepted nutrition standards for foods sold to youth.
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12/17/09: The restaurant industry has lobbied hard against mandatory menu labeling in restaurants, highlighting the importance of a new study from the Rudd Center measuring the impact of menu labeling regulations. The researchers found that calorie labels result in the consumption of significantly fewer calories. The study appears online in the American Journal of Public Health.
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12/2/09: When schools serve healthier, more nutritious food, students do not compensate by eating more unhealthy food at home, a new study by Marlene Schwartz and others has found. In addition, the study shows that this type of school-based obesity prevention does not lead to weight concerns or body dissatisfaction among students. These findings refute arguments against the proliferation of programs to improve school nutrition, say the researchers. The study appears in the December issue of Health Education & Behavior.
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10/26/09: The least healthy breakfast cereals are those most frequently and aggressively marketed directly to children as young as age two, finds a new study from Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. The researchers' evaluation of cereal marketing, the first such study of its kind, shows pervasive targeting of children across all media platforms and in stores.
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10/6/09: The Connecticut State Department of Education released school wellness policy reports for all Connecticut school districts participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) child nutrition programs. The report cards provide an overall score and rate the comprehensiveness and strength of each district policy in seven areas: nutrition education; school meals; other school food and beverages; physical education; physical activity; communication and promotion; and evaluation. The scores were calculated using a measurement tool developed by the Rudd Center in collaboration with a number of researchers from universities around the country.
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9/16/09: Research to date suggests that a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages would have strong positive effects on reducing consumption. Leading public health experts, including the Rudd Center's Kelly D. Brownell, present a strong case for the tax in the October 15 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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7/7/09: In an effort to help families and school administrators fight the epidemic of obesity among children, a team of researchers , including Marlene Schwartz, has developed a practical coding system to evaluate school wellness policies, which are required of all schools participating in the National School Lunch Program. This coding system was introduced in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
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7/1/09: Food advertising on television increases automatic snacking on available foods in children and adults, according to a series of studies by Rudd Center researchers.
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4/7/09: Citing research that shows drinking sugar-sweetened beverages is helping fuel the obesity epidemic, Kelly Brownell and New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH, argue for taxing sugared beverages in the April 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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3/24/09: In a review and analysis of tobacco and food industry practices, researchers from Yale and the University of Michigan pinpointed similarities in strategies used across both industries. The researchers, including Kelly Brownell, identified parallels in areas such as emphasizing personal responsibility, influencing government and professional organizations, paying scientists who produce favorable research, and marketing “safer” products. The authors encouraged the food industry to change both marketing and nutritional practices to avoid negative consequences to the health of consumers.
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3/2/09: In a study that gives insight into the depth of stigmatization against overweight and obese people, Rudd Center researchers found weight bias even among those studying to be dieticians. The research appears in the March issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
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1/23/09: Rudd Center researchers Rebecca Puhl and Chelsea Heuer published a study in the journal Obesity about the stigmatization of obese adults by employers, educators, health care providers, family members, romantic partners and the media. The study analyzed over 150 scientific studies published since 2000 that provide evidence of weight-based stigma, discrimination, social inequalities and a range of harmful consequences for those who are obese, including vulnerability to depression, low self-esteem, poor body image, eating disorders and exercise avoidance.
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12/4/08: The link between food marketing and the growing childhood obesity epidemic is the focus of a $6.4 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to the Rudd Center. The ultimate goal of the project is to increase market and consumer demand, as well as industry incentives, for marketing practices that will improve children’s health.
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5/16/08: In response to a Lancet journal letter suggesting that obese people are significantly contributing to world oil demands and global food scarcity, Kelly Brownell issued a media advisory cautioning that how the data are framed will make a big difference.
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4/9/08: A study by Rudd Center researchers, published in the journal Obesity, is the first to document patterns of weight discrimination in the United States, and shows that perceived discrimination against overweight people is on the rise.
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12/12/07: The Rudd Center launched a bold, freshly designed website offering in-depth information relating to food policy and obesity.
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9/21/07: A study by Rebecca Puhl and colleague Janet Latner has found that weight bias threatens obese children’s physical and emotional health and well-being. The negative consequences as a direct result of weight bias include: social exclusion, low self esteem, reduced academic and earning potential, avoidance of physical activity, eating disorders, and even suicide.
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9/21/07: Kelly Brownell discusses the historic Food & Addiction Meeting held by the Rudd Center in July. The meeting was an important step in examining links between food and addiction and in opening a discussion of such topics as how food is marketed to children.
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3/26/07: Rudd Center researchers have released results of a study showing clearly that soft drinks are associated with increased caloric intake, higher body weight, a decrease in calcium and other nutrients, and increased risk of Type II diabetes. The report also noted that studies funded by the food industry were much less likely to show detrimental effects from soft drinks than studies that received no industry funding.
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3/5/07: Kelly Brownell will testify before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Congress that schools provide an “unsafe nutrition environment” for children. His testimony will lend support to The Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act, which would require the USDA to raise nutritional standards for foods sold outside of school lunch meals.
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2/2/07: The Rudd Center’s website has been selected for inclusion in Dorland's Healthcare Website Guide. Unlike directories that solicit funds from the organizations they list, Dorland's is an objective source supported by subscribers. It is intended for use by consumers and healthcare professionals as a map to the best resources on the World Wide Web.
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12/6/06: The Rudd Center bestowed Golden Apple Awards on December 7, on the winners of its first “Seeds of Healthy Change” contest, which is designed to generate creative ideas to battle the global obesity epidemic.
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10/25/06: A study by the Rudd Center’s Rebecca Puhl and Kelly Brownell has tested the claim that weight bias motivates people to lose weight and found the opposite can be the case – individuals cope with weight stigmatization through a variety of strategies, including eating more food and giving up on dieting.
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9/12/06: Today the Rudd Center launches the nationwide “Seeds of Healthy Change Competition,” inviting the public to submit ideas to help in the organization’s campaign to fight obesity and weight discrimination.
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6/29/06: The Rudd Center goes live today with a blog that encourages people to discuss topics ranging from how advertising determines what children eat to what pressures a bride-to-be is facing to squeeze into a size-four gown.
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5/19/06: This week, Time Magazine recognized Kelly Brownell as one of the "100 most influential people in the world" for 2006, identifying him as a leader in the fight for a healthier food environment and for raising public awareness about this issue.
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5/16/06: A study led by Marlene Schwartz and researchers at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity found that nearly half of all respondents would rather give up a year of their life than be fat.
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2/14/06: Leslie Rudd, whose generous endowment gave the Rudd Center its start, discusses his hopes for progress in the fight against obesity.
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11/4/05: Yale University, supporters, researchers and the founders of the new Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity officially dedicate the Center's building at 309 Edwards St.
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11/4/05: Director Kelly Brownell is among six Yale researchers elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies. The IOM honors professional achievement in the health sciences. Election recognizes those who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health and is considered one of the highest honors in these fields.
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9/29/05: According to a study by the Rudd Center’s Rebecca Puhl, one of the most effective ways to change negative attitudes about obese people is by addressing perceptions of normative beliefs within particular social groups. The model used in this study, known as social consensus theory, is based on the experience that people generally adopt the attitudes of valued “in-groups,” such as peers.
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