UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health

Restaurant, food, and beverage companies target Hispanic and Black children and teens with ads almost exclusively for fast food, candy, sugary drinks, and unhealthy snacks. This new report finds that fast food, candy, sugary drinks, and unhealthy snacks represented 86 percent of food ad spending on Black-targeted TV programming, where black consumers comprise the majority of viewers, and 82 percent of ad spending on Spanish-language TV, in 2017.

Full citation: Fernandes CF, Schwartz MB, Ickovics JR, Basch CE. Educator Perspectives: Selected Barriers to Implementation of School-Level Nutrition Policies. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2019;51(7):843-849. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2018.12.011

In this report, we apply the same methods and definitions used in our previous report to identify food-related TV advertising targeted to Black and Hispanic consumers in 2017, and exposure to those ads by Hispanic and Black youth, including children (2-11 years) and teens (ages 12-17 years). We use Nielsen syndicated market research data to measure TV advertising spending in total, as well as spending on targeted media (Spanish-language and Black-targeted TV networks).

Full citation: Schwartz MB, Seligman HK. The Unrealized Health-Promoting Potential of a National Network of Food Pantries. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition. 2019;14(1-2):1-3. https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2019.1569819

Most children in the United States spend an average of 6 to 7 hours a day at school, which is why schools have become a priority setting for preventing childhood obesity. Since 2006, school wellness policies have been required to set goals for physical and nutrition education and to set nutrition standards for meals and snacks served. These requirements were strengthened in 2010 with the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, and while nearly every school district in the country has a written policy to comply with these standards, previous studies have found that strong written policies do not necessarily predict thorough implementation. 

This research, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, aimed to assess whether implementation of specific nutrition and physical activity components of the school wellness policies lead to healthier student outcomes, including BMI trajectories. Findings indicate that implementing strong school nutrition policies results in healthier weight trajectories in middle school students.

This infographic explains the findings of a 2018 Rudd Center study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, which looked at the effects of school-based nutrition and physical activity policies to prevent obesity.

Full citation: Ickovics JR, Duffany KO, Shebl FM, et al. Implementing School-Based Policies to Prevent Obesity: Cluster Randomized Trial. Am J Prev Med. 2019;56(1):e1-e11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2018.08.026

In 2017-2018 the USDA Wellness Policy Final Rule provided additional details and requirements as to what should be included in each school district’s wellness policies. This video provides a brief introduction to the updated version of the Wellness School Assessment Tool, otherwise known as the WellSAT 3.0. By completing the tool, WellSAT users will be able to assess the quality of their wellness policies, and they will be provided with resources and guidance for making improvements based on their assessment.

Full citation: Puhl RM, Himmelstein MS. Weight Bias Internalization Among Adolescents Seeking Weight Loss: Implications for Eating Behaviors and Parental Communication. Front Psychol. 2018;9:2271. Published 2018 Nov 21. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02271

Full citation: Fleming-Milici F, Harris JL, Liu S. Race, Ethnicity, and Other Factors Predicting U.S. Parents’ Support for Policies to Reduce Food and Beverage Marketing to Children and Adolescents. Health Equity. 2018;2(1):288-295. Published 2018 Oct 17. https://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2018.0048