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Overweight and obese youth are frequently teased, tormented, and victimized because of their weight. Weight-based teasing and stigma (also called ‘weight bias’) can have a detrimental impact on both emotional well-being and physical health. The Rudd Center has released this new video to help parents and teachers understand the severity and impacts of weight bias in school and at home and to present strategies to help combat this rapidly growing problem for overweight teens and pre-adolescents.

Full citation: Puhl RM, Heuer CA. The stigma of obesity: a review and update. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009;17(5):941-964. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2008.636

Full citation: Fiese BH, Schwartz M. Reclaiming the Family Table: Mealtimes and Child Health and Wellbeing. Social Policy Report. 2008;22(4):1-20. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2379-3988.2008.tb00057.x

Two studies compared food availability and prices in large and small stores across neighborhoods of varying income levels in New Haven, Connecticut. The findings suggest that supermarket access in lower-income neighborhoods has improved since 1971, and average food prices are comparable across income areas. Despite this progress, stores in lower-income neighborhoods (compared to those in higher-income neighborhoods) stock fewer healthier varieties of foods and have fresh produce of much lower quality. Policies are needed not only to improve access to supermarkets, but also to ensure that stores in lower-income neighborhoods provide high-quality produce and healthier versions of popular foods.

Full citation: Andreyeva T, Blumenthal DM, Schwartz MB, Long MW, Brownell KD. Availability and prices of foods across stores and neighborhoods: the case of New Haven, Connecticut. Health Aff (Millwood). 2008;27(5):1381-1388. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.27.5.1381

Childhood overweight and obesity prevalence rates in the United States are steadily increasing. Public health experts consider a host of over-arching and powerful influences beyond any one person’s control to be the pivotal causes of childhood obesity. Consequently, it is more useful from a prevention and policy standpoint to examine the increasingly ‘toxic environments’ in which we live, consider a comprehensive strategy, and introduce, implement, and enforce public health policy to change those environments. In this paper we give an overview of different types of public policies that have been proposed as pieces of the complex solution to the growing problem of childhood obesity. We review some of the strategies needed, and the barriers to overcome, in order to pass effective policy, and discuss the important role pediatric endocrinologists can play in the fight to win effective policy campaigns to reduce the epidemic of childhood obesity.

Full citation: Friedman RR, Schwartz MB. Public policy to prevent childhood obesity, and the role of pediatric endocrinologists. J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2008;21(8):717-725. https://doi.org/10.1515/JPEM.2008.21.8.717

Although great focus has been placed on nutritional and other consequences of changes in food-related policies within schools, few reports exist describing the impact of such changes on school revenue. This review provides an overview of the few revenue-related studies published recently, as well as information from a sampling of state reports on the subject. Thus far, few data exist to substantiate the concern that changes in nutrition standards in schools lead to a loss in total revenue. An interesting phenomenon of increased participation in the National School Lunch Program was noted in a number of reports and might play a role in buffering financial losses.

Full citation: Wharton CM, Long M, Schwartz MB. Changing nutrition standards in schools: the emerging impact on school revenue. J Sch Health. 2008;78(5):245-251. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2008.00296.x

There are both public health and food industry initiatives aimed at increasing breakfast consumption among children, particularly the consumption of ready-to-eat cereals. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were identifiable differences in nutritional quality between cereals that are primarily marketed to children and cereals that are not marketed to children. Overall, there were important differences in nutritional quality between children’s cereals and nonchildren’s cereals. Dietary advice for children to increase consumption of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals should identify and recommend those cereals with the best nutrient profiles.

Full citation: Schwartz MB, Vartanian LR, Wharton CM, Brownell KD. Examining the nutritional quality of breakfast cereals marketed to children. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008;108(4):702-705. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2008.01.003

This study examined experiences of weight/height discrimination in a nationally representative sample of US adults and compared their prevalence and patterns with discrimination experiences based on race and gender. The prevalence of weight/height discrimination ranged from 5% among men to 10% among women, but these average percentages obscure the much higher risk of weight discrimination among heavier individuals (40% for adults with body mass index (BMI) of 35 and above). Younger individuals with a higher BMI had a particularly high risk of weight/height discrimination regardless of their race, education and weight status. Women were at greater risk for weight/height discrimination than men, especially women with a BMI of 30–35 who were three times more likely to report weight/height discrimination compared to male peers of a similar weight.

Full citation: Puhl RM, Andreyeva T, Brownell KD. Perceptions of weight discrimination: prevalence and comparison to race and gender discrimination in America. Int J Obes (Lond). 2008;32(6):992-1000. https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2008.22

Little is known about the prevalence and patterns of weight discrimination in the United States. This study examined the trends in perceived weight/height discrimination among a nationally representative sample of adults aged 35–74 years, comparing experiences of discrimination based on race, age, and gender. The prevalence of weight/height discrimination increased from 7% in 1995–1996 to 12% in 2004–2006, affecting all population groups but the elderly. This growth is unlikely to be explained by changes in obesity rates.

Full citation: Andreyeva T, Puhl RM, Brownell KD. Changes in perceived weight discrimination among Americans, 1995-1996 through 2004-2006. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008;16(5):1129-1134. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2008.35

Preventing childhood obesity has become a top priority in efforts to improve our nation’s public health. Although much research is needed to address this health crisis, it is important to approach childhood obesity with an understanding of the social stigma that obese youths face, which is pervasive and can have serious consequences for emotional and physical health. This report reviews existing research on weight stigma in children and adolescents, with attention to the nature and extent of weight bias toward obese youths and to the primary sources of stigma in their lives, including peers, educators, and parents. The authors also examine the literature on psychosocial and physical health consequences of childhood obesity to illustrate the role that weight stigma may play in mediating negative health outcomes. The authors then review stigma-reduction efforts that have been tested to improve attitudes toward obese children, and they highlight complex questions about the role of weight bias in childhood obesity prevention. With these literatures assembled, areas of research are outlined to guide efforts on weight stigma in youths, with an emphasis on the importance of studying the effect of weight stigma on physical health outcomes and identifying effective interventions to improve attitudes.

Full citation: Puhl RM, Latner JD. Stigma, obesity, and the health of the nation’s children. Psychol Bull. 2007;133(4):557-580. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.4.557