Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale
Encyclopedia
The Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity is a non-profit research and public policy organization devoted to improving the world’s diet, preventing obesity
, and reducing weight stigma
. Located in New Haven, Connecticut
at Yale University
, the Rudd Center was co-founded in March 2005 by benefactor Leslie Rudd and Kelly D. Brownell
, Ph.D. According to the Center website, "The Rudd Center serves as a leader in building broad-based consensus to change diet and activity patterns, while holding industry and government agencies responsible for safeguarding public health. The Center serves as a leading research institution and clearinghouse for resources that add to our understanding of the complex forces affecting how we eat, how we stigmatize overweight and obese people, and how we can change."
The mission & purpose of the Rudd Center is to reverse the global spread of obesity; to reduce weight bias; and to galvanize community members, public officials, and advocacy groups to achieve positive, lasting change.
The Rudd Center pursues these bold goals through: strategic science, interaction with key players in media, industry and government; and mobilization of grassroots efforts. The Center stands at the intersection of science and public policy to develop innovative and effective measures to combat obesity and improve global health.
These objectives are accomplished by addressing the following:
The Center's ambitious plans to change the world's diet are executed by an energetic and talented core staff of researchers and business professionals. Heading the Rudd Center is Director Kelly D. Brownell
, Ph.D., who is also professor of psychology at Yale. "The Center's work will by necessity involve both domestic and global initiatives," said Brownell at the launch of the Rudd Center in 2005. "Diets and their determinants in the U.S. are inextricably linked to those in other countries through international trade policies, global media influences, agriculture subsidies, and a number of other social, economic, and political mechanisms."
In a copyrighted and trademarked online news story article in the Yale Daily Bulletin (News, Events And Conversations for the Yale Community) by the Rudd Center dated Wednesday, August 10, 2011 and accessed Sunday, August 21, 2011, it states: "Nutrition-related health claims on children's cereals are often misinterpreted by parents, causing them to infer that products with health claims are more nutritious overall despite actual nutrient quality, finds a study from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University
. The study, published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, shows that additional government regulation of front-of-package labeling is needed to protect consumers. Through an online survey, researchers asked parents with children between the ages of 2 and 11 to view images of actual box fronts of children's cereals. While the cereals were of below-average nutritional quality, the boxes featured various nutrition-related health claims including 'whole grain', 'fiber', 'calcium and vitamin D', 'organic' and 'supports your child's immunity'. Participants were provided with possible meanings for these claims and indicated how the claims would affect their willingness to buy the product. Parents inferred that cereals containing claims were more nutritious overall and might provide specific health-related benefits for their children, which predicted a greater willingness to buy the cereals." For the remainder of the commentary on the study, please follow the following hyperlink: <>.
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
, and reducing weight stigma
Weight Stigma
Weight stigma, also known as weightism, weight bias, and weight-based discrimination, is discrimination or stereotyping based on one's weight, especially very large or thin people...
. Located in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, the Rudd Center was co-founded in March 2005 by benefactor Leslie Rudd and Kelly D. Brownell
Kelly D. Brownell
Kelly D. Brownell is an American scientist, professor, and internationally renowned expert on obesity. Brownell is Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale, where he is also Professor of Psychology and Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health...
, Ph.D. According to the Center website, "The Rudd Center serves as a leader in building broad-based consensus to change diet and activity patterns, while holding industry and government agencies responsible for safeguarding public health. The Center serves as a leading research institution and clearinghouse for resources that add to our understanding of the complex forces affecting how we eat, how we stigmatize overweight and obese people, and how we can change."
The mission & purpose of the Rudd Center is to reverse the global spread of obesity; to reduce weight bias; and to galvanize community members, public officials, and advocacy groups to achieve positive, lasting change.
The Rudd Center pursues these bold goals through: strategic science, interaction with key players in media, industry and government; and mobilization of grassroots efforts. The Center stands at the intersection of science and public policy to develop innovative and effective measures to combat obesity and improve global health.
These objectives are accomplished by addressing the following:
- Economics
- Food & Agriculture Industry
- Food Marketing to Youth
- Law, Nutrition & Obesity
- Public Policy & Government
- Schools, Families & Communities
- Weight Bias & Stigma
The Center's ambitious plans to change the world's diet are executed by an energetic and talented core staff of researchers and business professionals. Heading the Rudd Center is Director Kelly D. Brownell
Kelly D. Brownell
Kelly D. Brownell is an American scientist, professor, and internationally renowned expert on obesity. Brownell is Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale, where he is also Professor of Psychology and Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health...
, Ph.D., who is also professor of psychology at Yale. "The Center's work will by necessity involve both domestic and global initiatives," said Brownell at the launch of the Rudd Center in 2005. "Diets and their determinants in the U.S. are inextricably linked to those in other countries through international trade policies, global media influences, agriculture subsidies, and a number of other social, economic, and political mechanisms."
In a copyrighted and trademarked online news story article in the Yale Daily Bulletin (News, Events And Conversations for the Yale Community) by the Rudd Center dated Wednesday, August 10, 2011 and accessed Sunday, August 21, 2011, it states: "Nutrition-related health claims on children's cereals are often misinterpreted by parents, causing them to infer that products with health claims are more nutritious overall despite actual nutrient quality, finds a study from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. The study, published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, shows that additional government regulation of front-of-package labeling is needed to protect consumers. Through an online survey, researchers asked parents with children between the ages of 2 and 11 to view images of actual box fronts of children's cereals. While the cereals were of below-average nutritional quality, the boxes featured various nutrition-related health claims including 'whole grain', 'fiber', 'calcium and vitamin D', 'organic' and 'supports your child's immunity'. Participants were provided with possible meanings for these claims and indicated how the claims would affect their willingness to buy the product. Parents inferred that cereals containing claims were more nutritious overall and might provide specific health-related benefits for their children, which predicted a greater willingness to buy the cereals." For the remainder of the commentary on the study, please follow the following hyperlink: <