Leveraging a natural policy variation in state-level USM implementation, we surveyed 1066 middle and high school students from eight US states (four with USM, four without) during the 2022–2023 school year. Stigma was measured as self-reported embarrassment about eating school lunch. We used generalized estimating equations to examine the associations between USM, embarrassment, and lunch participation.

Overall about one in nine students (11.5%) across all surveyed states reported embarrassment, which was associated with 11% less frequent (aRR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.83–0.97). School lunch participation overall, especially among those from low-income families. While USM was associated with lower odds of embarrassment among students from low-income families, higher-income students in USM states were more likely to feel embarrassed. USM can alleviate stigma for lower-income students yet may increase embarrassment among higher-income peers, highlighting the need for comprehensive approaches benefiting all socioeconomic groups.

Full Citation: Orta‐Aleman, D., Zuercher, M. D., Chapman, L. E., Schwartz, M. B., French, C. D., Patel, A. I., Ritchie, L., Cohen, J., & Gosliner, W. (2025a). Universal School Meal Policies and perceived stigma: Quantitative evidence from eight US states. Journal of School Health, 96(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.70098

Parental communication plays a critical role in weight-related health of children and adolescents and requires a balanced, thoughtful and supportive approach. The European Childhood Obesity Group (ECOG) convened a panel of experts to discuss the topic of parental communication in the prevention and treatment of child and adolescent obesity, as summarised in this statement. Parental concern about weight is evident, but the lack of parental knowledge about obesity, the impact of weight bias and stigma on their children and adolescents’ health behaviours, and the influences of culture, media, and advertising all make communication challenging and problematic for many families. Parents need support and skill building in order to provide a communication environment that is healthy and accepting. Healthcare professionals can model healthy communication styles by focusing on health, building family strengths and supports, asking youth about what words they prefer using to discuss their weight, and acknowledging the multifactorial causes of obesity that reside in the socioecological environment. While parental communication offers a powerful platform for promoting healthy behaviours in youth, it must be handled with care to avoid the harms of stigmatisation and oversimplification of obesity as a reflection of individual lifestyle choices. With appropriate tools, knowledge, skills, and support, parents can be better equipped to engage in supportive dialogue that empowers their children and promotes their health and wellbeing.

Full Citation: Puhl, R., Hassink, S., Lischka, J., Torbahn, G., Ring‐Dimitriou, S., Braet, C., Vlachopapadopoulou, E., Handjieva‐Darlenska, T., Vania, A., Łuszczki, E., Molnár, D. A., Thivel, D., Weghuber, D., & Nowicka, P. (2025). Parental communication in the prevention and treatment of child and adolescent obesity: A position statement of the European Childhood Obesity Group. Pediatric Obesity, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/ijpo.70052

From October 18–20, 2022, the National Institutes of Health held a workshop to examine the state of the science concerning obesity interventions in adults to promote health equity. The workshop had three objectives: (1) Convene experts from key institutions and the community to identify gaps in knowledge and opportunities to address obesity, (2) generate recommendations for obesity prevention and treatment to achieve health equity, and (3) identify challenges and needs to address obesity prevalence and disparities, and develop a diverse workforce.

Several key themes emerged from the workshop discussions that describe directions to build on the currently limited amount of research on obesity, disparities, and equity. Key themes centered on the determinants of health, leveraging technology, clinical, community, commercial, and policy approaches. Community-engaged work, particularly in populations that have received little focus (e.g., sexual gender minorities, Asian communities), were also discussed.

Full Citation: L. T. Blackman Carr, J. Ard, C. B. Shanks, et al., “ Toward Health Equity: A Workshop Report on the State of the Science of Obesity Interventions for Adults,” Obesity (2025): 1–11, https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.70035.

What is the impact of federal- and state-level Universal Free School Meal (UFSM) policies on participation rates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) during and after the COVID-19 pandemic?

In this comparative effectiveness study, the federal UFSM policy during the COVID-19 pandemic increased NSLP and SBP participation, and states maintaining UFSM policies showed sustained participation increases. Limited expansions of free meal access showed no significant outcome. Results suggest that UFSM policies may effectively increase school meal participation and may help reduce diet-related disparities and food insecurity among children, underscoring the need for continued state and federal support.

School meals were served free of charge to all public school students in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, but some students still did not participate. In this mixed-methods study, surveys and interviews were conducted with food service directors (FSDs) from California (n = 556 surveys; n = 29 interviews) and Maine (n = 43 surveys; n = 20 interviews) during spring 2022. Students’ preference to eat meals from home or elsewhere (81.5%) and negative perceptions of the school food’s taste (67%) were the most common barriers reported. Schools’ prior community eligibility provision (CEP) participation and smaller student enrollment were associated with fewer reported barriers. Inadequate time to eat lunch and stigma were also reported as barriers to participation.

Full Citation: Olarte, D. A., Gosliner, W., Chapman, L. E., Hecht, C., Hecht, K., Ohri-Vachaspati, P., Patel, A. I., Read, M., Ritchie, L. D., Schwartz, M. B., Zuercher, M. D., Orta-Aleman, D., Polacsek, M., & Cohen, J. F. W. (2025). Foodservice Directors’ Perceived Barriers to Student Participation in School Meals When Meals Were Served Free of Charge During the 2021-2022 School Year. The Journal of School Health, 95(8), 575–586. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.70019\

Research Question: What is the amount and type of food and beverage brand exposure young US children (aged 3 to 8 years) experience when viewing YouTube or YouTube Kids on mobile devices?

Key Finding: In this observational study, most children aged 6 to 8 years (75%) and 36% of children aged 3 to 5 years were exposed to branded food and beverages. The majority of brand exposures (61%) were embedded within videos, followed by thumbnails (23%) and ads (17%). Candy, sugar-sweetened drinks, fast food, and sweet or salty snacks represented 74% of exposures, and lifestyle videos (including influencers) contributed 77% of brand exposures within videos. No videos embedded with food or beverage brands disclosed food company-sponsored content.

Full Citation: Fleming-Milici, F., Gershman, H., Agresta, H. O., McCann, M., & Harris, J. L. (2025). Young Children’s (3-8y) food and beverage brand exposure on YouTube and YouTube kids: An observational study and content analysis. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2025.05.010

Messages promoting candy, sugar-sweetened drinks, fast food, and sweet or salty snacks brands frequently appear during videos viewed by 3- to -8-year-olds on YouTube and YouTube Kids, according to a new paper from researchers at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health at the University of Connecticut. This is the first study to measure young children’s (3-8y) actual exposure to food brands while watching YouTube or YouTube Kids videos of their own choice on their own mobile devices. To mimic their typical video viewing habits, 101 children (3-8y) used their own mobile devices to watch videos on the YouTube platform of their choice (YouTube or YouTube Kids) for 30 minutes in their own homes.

Aims: To conduct a multi-study, cross-country examination of diabetes stigma among adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes (T1D, T2D).

Methods: Pre-existing, cross-sectional studies of adults (aged ≥18) completing the T1D or T2D Diabetes Stigma Assessment Scales (DSAS-1/DSAS-2) were collated. Descriptive statistics were calculated for (sub)scale and item scores. Variance-components linear random-effect multi-level modelling (nested random intercepts for country and study) estimated overall mean (sub)scale scores, 95% confidence intervals, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and 95% prediction intervals. Likelihood ratio (LR) tests provided inference for country- and study-specific heterogeneity.

Results: Eleven studies were included from six countries (Australia k = 2, Canada k = 1, Japan k = 2, New Zealand k = 1, UAE k = 1, USA k = 4) in four languages (Arabic k = 1, English k = 7, Japanese k = 2, Spanish k = 1). Six studies included n = 3114 adults with T1D (insulin pump: 42%; 75% aged <60 years). Ten studies included n = 6586 adults with T2D (insulin-treated: 37%; 44% aged <60 years). Most reported ≥1 experience of diabetes stigma (T1D = 91%; study range: 84%–96%; T2D = 77%; 69%–89%). In 10 studies, the ‘blame and judgment’ subscale was most endorsed (T1D = 83%; 62%–89%, T2D = 70%; 53%–79%). Most adults with T1D reported ‘identity concerns’ (73%; 62%–80%), and 47% of adults with T2D reported ‘self-stigma’ (30–60%). Being ‘treated differently’ was least common (T1D = 46%; 40%–54%, T2D = 37%; 28%–47%). Low levels of heterogeneity were observed in mean [SE] total scores (DSAS-1: 54 [0.94] ICC = 0.02, p < 0.001; DSAS-2: 44 [1.1], ICC ≤0.4, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Findings suggest a high and relatively consistent prevalence of diabetes stigma across studies and within and across countries, supporting calls for local and global action.

Full Citation: Holmes‐Truscott, E., Litterbach, E., Søholm, U., Agius, P. A., Alzubaidi, H., Bodziony, V., Bresolin, J., Fletcher, K., Garza, M., Joiner, K. L., Puhl, R. M., Shimabukuro, M., Syron, L., Takaike, H., Vallis, M., Verry, H., Halliday, J. A., Manallack, S. L., Skinner, T. C., & Speight, J. (2025). Experiences of diabetes stigma among adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes: A multi‐study, multi‐country, secondary analysis. Diabetic Medicine, 42(8). https://doi.org/10.1111/dme.70082

The feminist perspective is relevant to the understanding, prevention, and treatment of disturbances in eating and body image. However, limited empirical research has explored the relationship between feminist identity and weight stigma. The present study examined the associations between feminist beliefs, externalized weight bias, internalized weight bias, body image, and eating disturbances. Two hundred sixty-five racially and ethnically diverse young women were recruited from a university in the Pacific Rim. Participants completed questionnaires online and interrelationships were examined using a series of regressions. Externalized weight bias was significantly negatively associated with both feminist beliefs and identification as a feminist. However, stronger feminist beliefs and identity were significantly associated with higher internalized weight bias, worse body dissatisfaction, and greater incidence of eating disturbances. The results of the present study suggest that structural change driven by feminist values and principles may be effective for reducing weight bias and possibly other risk factors present in broader society but potentially less effective on an individual level. Longitudinal research is needed to confirm the direction of these relationships and to understand which components of feminist theory and feminist values can be most helpful in reducing weight bias on an individual level, while still addressing structural change.

Full Citation: Bennett, B. L., Wagner, A. F., Puhl, R. M., Lamere, A., & Latner, J. D. (2025). Feminism and its associations with weight stigma, body image, and disordered eating: A risk or protective factor? Obesities, 5(2), 40. https://doi.org/10.3390/obesities5020040

Purpose: Parents frequently use stigmatizing language when discussing body weight with their adolescent child. Yet, to our knowledge, no intervention has been designed to improve parent-adolescent conversations about weight so that they are less stigmatizing. This study examined the efficacy of a universal weight stigma intervention (delivered irrespective of underlying risk) on the quality of conversations about weight between parents and their children.

Methods: Audio recordings of parent-adolescent conversations about weight at baseline and at 3 and 6 months postrandomization were analyzed in this substudy of parents (n = 156, 91.0% women, mean age = 42.4 years, 60.2% non-Hispanic White) and early adolescents (52.6% girls, mean age = 12.0 years) who were enrolled in a parallel group randomized controlled trial. Quality of conversations was assessed with the Weight Stigma Family Assessment Task, a novel, direct observational method created for this study. Higher quality conversations constituted less stigmatizing content (e.g., personal responsibility for weight) and more supportive, nonstigmatizing content (e.g., body acceptance).

Results: Audio-recorded conversations about body weight among intervention group participants had 28% less stigmatizing content (1.88 vs. 2.62, p = .007) at 3 months and 24% less stigmatizing content (1.67 vs. 2.20, p = .048) at 6 months than in the control group. No between-group differences in nonstigmatizing content were observed.

Discussion: The universal weight stigma intervention was associated with improvements in the quality of conversations about body weight. As such, it holds promise as an intervention strategy to help guide parents toward having more supportive, nonstigmatizing conversations about body weight and related health behaviors with their adolescent child.

Full Citation: Rancaño, K. M., Skeer, M., Puhl, R., Eliasziw, M., & Must, A. (2025). Efficacy of a universal weight stigma intervention on the quality of parent-child conversations about weight. Journal of Adolescent Health, 76(4), 680–689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2024.11.012