Rudd Sound Bites

Obesity and the 2008 Presidential Race

by Carly Keidel

Does the need for obesity treatment and prevention have the momentum to become a reigning political issue in the 2008 presidential election? What are the sponsorship records of Senators Clinton, McCain and Obama on bills related to nutrition, healthy food access, and community wellness? Answers to these questions and more can be found in a comprehensive report by Corporations and Health Watch, a non-profit organization that tracks the effects of corporate practices on public health. The report examines the extent to which food and beverage companies serve as top political donors, and the positions taken by the 2008 presidential candidates about junk food marketing, nutrition education, family farms, and personal responsibility for diet and exercise.

Meal Dumb-Down

by Kathryn Henderson

The May issue of Parenting magazine recently arrived on my doorstep. I was initially excited by the article “Two-way dinners: Make it for kids, then tweak it for adults – and everybody’s happy!” This seemed like a great idea – after all, I spend a lot of time encouraging parents to put one meal on the table each night rather than making a different meal for each family member. The latter is time-consuming, reinforces the “eat what I want any time I want” mentality, and caters to pickiness. So I eagerly flipped to the article and was suitably…disappointed.

Food Costs and Fuel Costs

by Becca Krukowski

For the past few years, rising fuel costs have consistently been a top story.  Recently, it seems there has been an increasing frequency of consumer soundbites about how the fuel costs have finally gotten to a point that people are cutting back on how often or how far they drive. At the same time, stories about food costs have become more popular in the mainstream media, so it is not surprising that people are starting to wonder about the impact of rising food costs. Will people react similarly to increasing food costs as they appear to have with fuel costs? Will they eat less and/or eat less often? Could higher food prices be the magic pill that will solve the world’s obesity problem and conditions related to overnutrition?

Stigma-busting Beauty Pageant

by Rebecca Puhl

The beauty pageant world is paying attention to Chloe Marshall, a 17-year-old in England, who has been making headlines this past month for being the first plus-size model to be selected as a finalist for the Miss England competition. Chloe, who is a size 16, was crowned Miss Surrey over seven thinner contestants, and is now a contender for the national Miss England pageant.

More on Food and the Environment

by Carly Keidel

As a follow-up to Michael's recent post, I wanted to pass along this link to a blog entry by Roni A. Neff, PhD, in which she explores the interplays among diet, health, agriculture and the environment as part of National Public Health Week. Also of interest, Dr. Neff recently discussed these issues in-depth in a podcast with Kelly Brownell, titled Yesterday's Dinner, Tomorrow's Weather: Today's News?

The Planet and Your Health

by Michael Long

A number of speakers at the Rudd Center, including Richard Jackson, MD, have commented that public health advocates need to leverage interest in policies that would reduce global warming to build support for policies related to obesity and diet-related diseases.  This past week, I was watching the news and saw a feature on a woman who decided to take the train to work instead of driving because of the high cost of gasoline.  As a result of all of the walking needed to get around using public transit, she had lost a great deal of weight and no longer needed to take medication for hypertension.  It seemed from the news story that the health effect of walking was a complete (and very welcome) surprise to the woman.

Wise Up on Weight in Vogue

by Chelsea Heuer

Jeffrey Steingarten is my new favorite person. I just read You Are Not What You Eat, an article he wrote for April’s Vogue. Mr. Steingarten is among a handful of journalists and writers who are attempting to deflate the weight loss myths that are rife in today’s culture. An excerpt:

“The flood of diet articles has several harmful effects. Pretending that losing weight is easy and really fun stigmatizes the overweight for choosing not to lose weight, for remaining weak and self-indulgent. It encourages people to feel that their own bodies are in pretty awful shape. Both the industry and its supporters in the press are playing on the desperation of people who hate how they look in the mirror. Pandering to their unrealistic hopes. Making weight loss into one of the central goals of life.”

Skittles: Taste the Media Frenzy

by Marlene Schwartz

My heart sank when I saw the front cover of my local newspaper. The front page story of the New Haven Register was all about.... Skittles.   In the last few days the sale of one package of Skittles in a New Haven middle school has gotten more national press coverage than 5 years of hard work by New Haven health professionals, administrators, and parents to improve the school environment in their city. 

Private Weigh-ins A Must for Female Patients

by Chelsea Heuer

A new study finds that women experience substantial discomfort at the notion of being weighed in the presence of others.

These findings have important implications for health care. Existing research shows that overweight and obese women are more likely to delay preventive health services and cancer screenings than non-overweight women. Embarrassment about being weighed is one of the reasons that these women cite for postponing doctor visits.

Body Image as a Predictor of Health

by Beth Rocchio

When I saw the headline – “Body Image is Stronger Predictor of Health Than Obesity” - I felt concerned that it might be misinterpreted as, "as long as I feel good about myself, I don't have to lose weight to be any healthier."

It goes without saying that many different theories about obesity hold some water, and that we need to find the truth and limitations of each theory in order to attain the larger truth and best serve people.