UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health

This report quantifies changes in cereal-company marketing to children. We examined the nutritional quality of 261 cereals from 12 companies in May 2012, including children’s cereals (products marketed directly to children), family cereals (marketed to parents to serve their children), and adult cereals (marketed to adults for their own consumption). We also used syndicated market research data and independent analyses to quantify young people’s exposure to marketing on TV and the internet.

Full citation: Puhl RM, Peterson JL, Luedicke J. Strategies to address weight-based victimization: youths’ preferred support interventions from classmates, teachers, and parents. J Youth Adolesc. 2013;42(3):315-327. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9849-5

Parents are concerned about food marketing and the way it impacts their children’s eating habits and would support policies to limit the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to children, according to a study from Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.

This report assessed parents’ attitudes about food marketing, including its reach and influence on children and adolescents. The survey also examined parents’ perceptions of possible environmental influences on their children’s eating habits and their support for policies to promote healthy eating habits in children. As a non-probability based panel was used for this survey, the findings are not representative of the entire U.S. population of parents of children 2-17 years old.

Full citation: Andreyeva T, Luedicke J, Henderson KE, Tripp AS. Grocery store beverage choices by participants in federal food assistance and nutrition programs. Am J Prev Med. 2012;43(4):411-418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2012.06.015

The federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) pays at least $2 billion annually for sugar-sweetened beverages purchased in grocery stores alone, according to a study by the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.

With over two thirds of Americans now overweight or obese, public health campaigns have emerged across the country to promote behavior that can help reduce America’s waistline. But do the messages communicated by these campaigns help reduce obesity or potentially make the problem worse?

Full citation: Puhl R, Peterson JL, Luedicke J. Fighting obesity or obese persons? Public perceptions of obesity-related health messages. Int J Obes (Lond). 2013;37(6):774-782. https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2012.156

Full citation: Peterson JL, Puhl RM, Luedicke J. An experimental assessment of physical educators’ expectations and attitudes: the importance of student weight and gender. J Sch Health. 2012;82(9):432-440. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2012.00719.x

The space on cereal shelves is serious real estate. Colorful boxes of sugary cereal are placed directly at your children’s eye level. This video shows how cereal companies have turned the cereal aisle into prime advertising space to reach children.