With support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Program at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and the University of Connecticut focuses on economic research aimed at enhancing food security and dietary quality for low-income Americans through the nation’s nutrition assistance programs. For the 2017 cycle, the program announces nine research grant awards, reflecting a wide range of nutrition assistance program topics.
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Flavored milk served in the National School Lunch Program contains up to 10 grams of added sugar per serving, which is 40 percent of a child’s daily allowance of added sugar. Given the nation’s key public health target of limiting added sugars in children’s diets, flavored milk has come under scrutiny in the context of school nutrition.
A new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut measured plain milk selection and consumption in the years after flavored milk was removed in two schools. During the first year without flavored milk, 51.5 percent of students selected plain milk. Two years later, 72 percent of students selected plain milk. Both years, student selection and consumption of plain milk dropped significantly on days when 100 percent fruit juice was also available.
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Full citation: Schwartz MB, Henderson KE, Read M, Cornelius T. Student Acceptance of Plain Milk Increases Significantly 2 Years after Flavored Milk Is Removed from School Cafeterias: An Observational Study. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2018;118(5):857-864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2017.05.021
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Parents expressed support for a broad range of community-based policies to promote healthy eating habits for their children. The findings highlighted in this summary are a part of a larger report on Parents’ Attitudes about Food Marketing to Children released in April 2017.
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Parents expressed support for a broad range of media-related policies to promote healthy eating habits for their children. The findings highlighted in this summary are a part of a larger report on Parents’ Attitudes about Food Marketing to Children released in April 2017.
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Parents expressed support for a broad range of school-related policies to promote healthy eating habits for their children. The findings highlighted in this summary are part of a larger report on Parents’ Attitudes about Food Marketing to Children released in April 2017.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.