UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health

Weight-based victimization (WBV) is a common and consequential experience for adolescents with overweight and obesity. The current study examined the relative contributions of different school-based sources of WBV (i.e., peers, friends, teachers, coaches) on academic grades, as well as the role of teachers in mitigating the academic consequences of WBV among a sample of 148 adolescents with high body weight.

Full Citation: Lessard LM, Lawrence SE, Puhl RM. Weight-based victimization and school performance in adolescence: Can teachers help reduce academic risks?. Sch Psychol. 2021;36(1):69-74. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000371

Weight-based bullying from peers has a negative impact on adolescents’ academic grades, according to a new study by researchers at the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. The study, published in School Psychology, also finds that the link between weight-based bullying and school performance is weaker when students perceive their teachers to be more helpful in preventing bullying in the future.

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 allows the provision of universal free meals (UFMs) in high-poverty school areas. Participation in UFM programs, including through CEP, could reduce meal costs due to economies of scale and a lower administrative burden. This study analyzed the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study (SNMCS) data from 508 UFM-eligible schools (103 UFMs) to evaluate whether meal costs varied by UFM status.

Full Citation: Long MW, Marple K, Andreyeva T. Universal Free Meals Associated with Lower Meal Costs While Maintaining Nutritional Quality. Nutrients. 2021;13(2):670. Published 2021 Feb 19. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13020670

Although bullied adolescents experience elevated risk for adverse mental and physical health outcomes, some youth exhibit resilience in the face of peer victimization. Given the developmental importance of peer relationships during adolescence, much of the research examining protective factors that can mitigate bullying-related harm has focused on the role of friendships. The goals of the current systematic review were to (a) synthesize the evidence for the protective effect of friendships (quantity and quality) on the mental and physical health of peer victimized adolescents and (b) provide corresponding recommendations for school-based health practitioners to facilitate appropriate supports among socially vulnerable youth in educational settings.

Full citation: Schacter HL, Lessard LM, Kiperman S, Bakth F, Ehrhardt A, Uganski J. Can Friendships Protect Against the Health Consequences of Peer Victimization in Adolescence? A Systematic Review. School Mental Health. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-021-09417-x

Calorie labeling is now required on all large U.S. chain restaurant menus, but its influence on consumer behavior is mixed. This study examines whether different parent-targeted messages encourage parents to order lower-calorie meals for their children in a hypothetical online setting.

Full Citation: Musicus AA, Hua SV, Schwartz MB, et al. Messages Promoting Healthy Kids’ Meals: An Online RCT. Am J Prev Med. 2021;60(5):674-683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2020.11.012

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) contribute to childhood obesity, long-term risks for diet-related diseases, and health disparities affecting communities of color. Hispanic children are disproportionately affected by obesity, but research is needed to better understand culturally specific reasons for providing SSBs to Hispanic children. This exploratory study utilized the Social Ecological Model framework to evaluate Hispanic parents’ perceptions of SSBs and serving them to young children.

Full Citation: Beckman M, Harris J. Understanding individual and socio-cultural factors associated with hispanic parents’ provision of sugar-sweetened beverages to young children. Appetite. 2021;161:105139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2021.105139

Dr. Marlene Schwartz joins Julie Relevant in this episode about the impact of COVID-19 on health inequities, rates of food insecurity, and childhood obesity. They also tackle the current state of school lunch and proposed waivers, food marketing and social media influencers and what we can do to affect change.

In mid-March 2020, school buildings closed and the total number of school meals served in Connecticut dropped by 32% in the first two weeks. But, thanks to the creative outreach and flexibility exhibited by school food service directors, these numbers rebounded, according to a new study from researchers at the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

When school buildings across the U.S. closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many school districts mobilized to establish emer­gency school meal programs to operate outside the setting of school cafeterias. The aim of this conver­gent mixed-methods study is to (a) examine the structure and rates of participation in the spring 2020 meal programs in Connecticut, and (b) obtain insight about the challenges, strategies used, and lessons learned during this time by food service leaders.

Full citation: Connolly K, Babbin M, McKee S, et al. Dedication, innovation, and collaboration: A mixed-methods analysis of school meals in Connecticut during COVID-19. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. 2021:1-17. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2021.102.020

When the food industry promises to police itself and pledges to improve nutrition in public health, can it be trusted to make meaningful change or must government mandate those changes? Dr. Jessica Fanzo, Professor of Global Food and Agricultural Policy and Ethics at Johns Hopkins University, and Dr. Jennifer Harri, Senior Research Advisor for Marketing Initiatives at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut, help answer this question.