Presentations: UPenn PRC Food/Obesity Symposium April 2017
UPenn PRC Impact Symposium – Accelerating Policies & Research on Food Access, Diet, and Obesity Prevention
On Friday, April 28th, the UPenn PRC hosted ” Accelerating Policies & Research on Food Access, Diet, and Obesity Prevention”, a day-long symposium which brought together prevention health researchers and public health advocates to discuss today’s food environment and focus on future directions for this important health topic. Special thanks to the Planning Committee and the UPenn PRC Training Core faculty and staff for their leadership and support in making this event possible. Enjoy the photo album of the whole day at the bottom of this page!
PRC Directors Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, and Kevin Volpp, MD, MPH, with morning Keynote Speaker Margo Wooten ScD, Center for Science in the Public Interest, who spoke on: Supporting Healthy Eating Through Nutrition Policy
Mariana Chilton, PhD, MPH, Center for Hunger-Free Communities, delivered the afternoon Keynote: From Evidence on Hunger, to Action on Food, to Community Transformation.
Jennifer Pomeranz, JD, MPH, NYU College of Global Public Health
Tracy Fox, MPH, RD, Food, Nutrition & Policy Consultants, LLC
Amy Yaroch, PhD, Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition
Allison Karpyn, PhD, University of Delaware: Achieving Food Security in Small Island Developing States, the Bahamas Example
Cheryl Bettigole, MD, MPH, Philadelphia Department of Public Health: Improving Health Through Food Policies
Carolyn Cannuscio, ScD, ScM, University of Pennsylvania: Advancing Literacy Through Cooking
Yael Lehmann, MS, The Food Trust, and Brian Lang, MA, National Campaign for Healthy Food Access: Public Policy & Healthy Food Access in the Trump Era
Breakout Session Group Report Out.
Alyssa Yackle, MPA, Amy Bleakley, PhD, MPH, Moriah Hall, MPH, Ben Young, all from the University of Pennsylvania. Moderated by Douglas J. Wiebe, PhD, UPenn PRC Training Core Lead
Alyssa Yackle, MPA, Amy Bleakley, PhD, MPH, Moriah Hall, MPH, Ben Young, all from the University of Pennsylvania. Moderated by Douglas J. Wiebe, PhD, UPenn PRC Training Core Lead
Afternoon Panel Session: Translating Research into High Impact Policy.
Jamie Chriqui, PhD, MHS, University of Illinois Chicago PRC,Stephenie Lemon, PhD, UMass Worcester PRC, Alice Ammerman, DrPH, University of North Carolina PRC, Carolyn Johnson, PhD, Tulane PRC
Jamie Chriqui, PhD, MHS, University of Illinois Chicago PRC,Stephenie Lemon, PhD, UMass Worcester PRC, Alice Ammerman, DrPH, University of North Carolina PRC, Carolyn Johnson, PhD, Tulane PRC
Healthy Foods Take a Back Seat to Junk Food When It Comes to Marketing: PRC Director Karen Glanz on Knowledge@Wharton
UPenn PRC Director Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, was interviewed with Penn Professor Jason Riis by Dan Loney on Knowledge@Wharton about how major brand marketing favors junk food over healthy food options in the consumer marketplace. “Food production companies are in the business of making profit, not making healthier food,” Glanz noted, adding that short-term corporate expectations based on quarterly earnings hinder a long-term strategy to build consumer relationships with healthier food choices.
“Do they market healthy foods as heavily as unhealthy foods? Do healthy foods get the same bells and whistles and kid-friendly appeals as the bad stuff?” Glanz questioned, adding that the build-up of consumer dependence on salt, sugar, and fat has taken place over many years, a result of research and marketing that targets those taste cravings in consumers.
Glanz observed there has been more success in the promotion of low and zero calorie drinks and bottled water. “The beverage market is interesting and has a different trajectory than the food and snack market,” says Glanz. “Calorie-free drinks are well-established. They sell less but sell well.”
Glanz also gave a nod to former First Lady Michelle Obama’s healthy eating and Let’s Move initiatives. “The First Lady’s signature programs have been a catalyst for promoting health. They’re two sides of the same issue.”
Philly’s New Soda Tax: PRC Director Karen Glanz Evaluates the Implications on Knowledge@Wharton
As a guest on Knowledge@Wharton radio, UPenn PRC Director Karen Glanz evaluated the health and financial implications of the Philadelphia’s new “soda tax” passed by City Council on June 16, 2016.
According to Glanz, while a difference in consumption could be seen within a year or two of implementation, the tax’s impact on disease risk factors may not be evident for another three to five years.
New Food Labeling Guidelines: Karen Glanz Unpacks the Facts on Knowledge@Wharton
UPenn PRC Director, Karen Glanz, PhD, and Wharton marketing professor, Jason Riis discussed the new Federal food labeling guidelines on the June 13, 2016 edition of Knowledge@Wharton.
Observing that past labeling revisions often were driven by a single concern, such as trans fats or sugar, Glanz sees the shift towards a more comprehensive approach to portion sizes and total calorie intake as beneficial . “If these labels can nudge things in that direction and/or nudge the industry to reformulate the foods that will be less high-calorie, then that could move things without necessarily depending on people’s conscious decision-making,” she said.
“That all hinges on whether people actually read it and understand it, and whether it is easy to see and digest,” Glanz said. Displaying the nutrition information on the front of packs ensures that “consumers don’t have to turn the pack around to see that, or bring out their reading glasses,”
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