Monitor on Psychology - May 2012 - (Page 37)

has changed dramatically, mainly in unhealthy ways,” he says, “and we are paying a predictable price.” Through his work with the Rudd Center, Brownell fights for policies that limit food companies’ reach and improve nutrition for children and adults, by regulating marketing, for example. “The food industry has become ever more effective at marketing its unhealthy products, especially to children,” he says. The average U.S. child sees about 5,500 food commercials a year, according to Rudd Center statistics. The vast majority of those are for snacks and beverages filled with sugar, salt and fat. Brownell’s work has raised awareness of the problem, boosting support for efforts that reduce food marketing’s pull. In a recent study, for instance, Brownell and colleagues found that kids eat more unhealthy snacks and fewer fruits and vegetables after playing “adver-games” featured on food company websites (Children and Media, 2012). The Rudd Center has also spearheaded the push for a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages to limit soda consumption. Several countries outside the United States have passed such taxes, and Brownell believes many communities and states are close to enacting soda taxes of their own. In a 2011 analysis, he and his colleagues estimated that a penny-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened drinks could reduce consumption by 24 percent, effectively cutting 45 to 50 calories per day from a soda drinker’s diet (Preventive Medicine, 2011). Brownell believes policies must change to curb the obesity epidemic. “Individual behavior change can be difficult when personal responsibility is overwhelmed by the environment,” he says. He is encouraged by two recent pieces of legislation. The 2010 healthcare reform legislation includes a mandate that chain restaurants must post calorie content on restaurant menus and menu boards. That same year, President Obama signed the Healthy, HungerFree Kids Act, which improves nutrition standards for any food sold in schools, whether in the lunch line or the vending machine. “We’ve been involved in these [initiatives], so it feels good to see that change is occurring,” Brownell says. Positive change The picture of obesity in the United States has changed considerably since Brownell and Wing launched their careers. “In those years, there’s been an explosion of obesity,” Wing says. More people are overweight and obese today than ever before, and the average BMI of people enrolling in weight-loss programs M AY 2 0 1 2 • M O N I T O R O N P S Y C H O L O G Y has also increased, she says. Yet our understanding of obesity has also come a long way. When Wing began her research in the 1970s, she says, “many people believed that obesity was just a cosmetic disease.” Today, few would dispute that it’s a medical crisis. After a lifetime of achievement, both Wing and Brownell say work remains to be done. The good news, Brownell says, is that social norms are beginning to change. “The more citizens care about these issues, the more they can be mobilized to create social change,” he says. Interestingly, both give the same answer when asked what they’re most proud of: their students and protégés who will carry on this important work in the years and decades to come. “Both of their perspectives are important,” Johnson says of Wing and Brownell. “And we should be very proud that they’re both psychologists.” n Learn more in Orlando: Both Brownell and Wing will be speaking about their research during the convention’s opening session. Conventiongoers will earn one continuing-education credit for attending. 37 http://www.MedicalCredentialing.org http://www.MedicalCredentialing.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - May 2012

Monitor on Psychology - May 2012
Letters
President’s Column
Contents
From the CEO
Math + science + motherhood = a tough combination
The rights of indigenous people take center stage at AAAS meeting
Interdisciplinary programs that are leading the way
Good Governance Project moves into its next phase
APA publishes third edition of seminal ADHD book for kids
Government Relations Update
In Brief
Random Sample
Judicial Notebook
Psychology’s first forays into film
Time Capsule
Questionnaire
Presidential programming
Obesity researchers receive lifetime achievement awards
Top speakers for psychology’s top meeting
Science Watch
Homing in on sickle cell disease
Psychologist Profile
Alone in the ‘hole’
Public Interest
State Leadership Conference ‘12
Perspective on Practice
Education tops council’s agenda
Meet the candidates for APA’s 2014 president
Presidential election guidelines
Division Spotlight
American Psychological Foundation
Support for sexual miniorities
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - May 2012