Whereas everyone recognizes that increasing obesity rates worldwide are driven by a complex set of interrelated factors, the marketing actions of the food industry are often singled out as one of the main culprits. But how exactly is food marketing making us fat? To answer this question, we...

Background: Past research has shown that promotional messages such as food advertising influence food consumption. However, what has gone largely unexplored is the effect of exercise advertising on food intake. This study experimentally tested the effects of exposure to exercise commercials on...

Findings from behavioral and psychological studies indicate that people regularly and predictably behave in ways that contradict some standard assumptions of economic analysis. Recognizing that consumption choices are determined by factors other than prices, income, and information illuminates a...

In this era of increasing obesity and increasing threats of legislation and regulation of food marketing practices, regulatory agencies have pointedly asked how “low-fat” nutrition claims may influence food consumption. The authors develop and test a framework that contends that low-fat...

More than ever, we make food choices in distracting, media filled, food-rich environments. It is not surprising that some clients — even some registered dietitians — become fatalistic about the limited influence they believe they have over the nutrition of their family. They come to believe...

Background: With other factors such as general diet and insufficient exercise, eating non-nutrient dense snack foods such as potato chips contributes to childhood obesity. We examined whether children consumed fewer calories when offered high-nutrient dense snacks consisting of cheese and...

Objective: To explore the feasibility and implementation efficiency of Nutritional Report Cards (NRCs) in helping children make healthier food choices at school. Methods: Pilot testing was conducted in a rural New York school district (K-12). Over a five-week period, 27 parents received a weekly...

Objective: Debit card payment systems are known to induce more frivolous purchases in adults, but their impact on children is unknown. Design and Methods: Using a national survey of 2,314 public school students in the United States, we compare food purchases in schools with debit-only systems to...

An increasing number of studies are investigating food intake volume and frequency in field studies outside the lab. Yet in this emerging research context, inconclusive and seemingly contradictory findings may be the result of complications in defining, measuring, and analyzing intake. This...