UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health

Using data from a UConn Rudd Center report on Parents’ Attitudes about Food Marketing to Children, this infographic depicts parental support for policies to encourage healthy eating across different demographics.

Using data from a UConn Rudd Center report on Parents’ Attitudes about Food Marketing to Children, this infographic depicts parental concerns about unhealthy food and beverage marketing to children.

Weight stigma can contribute to obesity, as individuals who experience stigma about their weight often cope with this distress by eating and avoiding exercise, increasing the likelihood of weight gain. Weight stigmatization can also impair emotional wellbeing, contributing to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction. Despite higher rates of obesity among women and minority populations compared with white Americans, less is known about differences in weight stigma or strategies for coping with weight stigma across gender and racial groups. 

In a new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut, researchers found that although weight stigma is equally present across different groups (Asian, black and Hispanic, and white men and women) there are differences in how particular groups are likely to respond to being stigmatized.

Using data from a UConn Rudd Center report on Parents’ Attitudes about Food Marketing to Children, this infographic depicts what parents feel are the biggest obstacles to getting their children to eat healthy.

Full citation: Himmelstein MS, Puhl RM, Quinn DM. Intersectionality: An Understudied Framework for Addressing Weight Stigma. Am J Prev Med. 2017;53(4):421-431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2017.04.003

Weight-based teasing is one of the most common forms of bullying that youth face. It most often comes from peers, but youth can also experience Weight Bullying from family members at home. These experiences can contribute to emotional and physical health problems for youth. But less is known about the long-term impact of Weight Bullying. A new study from researchers at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut and the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota shows that weight-based teasing in adolescence predicts health consequences in adulthood, including obesity, unhealthy weight-control and eating behaviors, and poor body image.

Full citation: Puhl RM, Wall MM, Chen C, Bryn Austin S, Eisenberg ME, Neumark-Sztainer D. Experiences of weight teasing in adolescence and weight-related outcomes in adulthood: A 15-year longitudinal study. Prev Med. 2017;100:173-179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2017.04.023

Eighty-five percent of parents surveyed about their views on food marketing to children agreed that companies should reduce advertising to unhealthy food to their kids, according to a new report from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut. Support for policies to promote healthy eating habits for their children in the media, schools and communities increased between 2012 and 2015 among parents surveyed for this study, with black and Hispanic parents significantly more likely to express support than white parents. The new report updates findings from a 2012 Rudd Center report with new data collected from 2012 to 2015.

Body shaming and weight stigma have become commonplace in American society. Whether highlighted in the news or in research studies, it’s clear that there is widespread negative bias against people with overweight or obesity. Unfortunately, children are vulnerable targets of weight stigma. In fact, Weight Bullying is one of the most prevalent forms of bullying reported by youth.

Full citation: Dalton MA, Longacre MR, Drake KM, et al. Child-targeted fast-food television advertising exposure is linked with fast-food intake among pre-school children. Public Health Nutr. 2017;20(9):1548-1556. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980017000520