Kathryn Henderson, PhD
Dr. Kathryn Henderson is Director of School and Community Initiatives at the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University, and a Research Scientist in the Yale Department of Psychology. Dr. Henderson received her BA from the University of Victoria, Canada, and her MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology from Queen's University at Kingston, Canada. She completed her clinical internship at Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital in Boston, and her post-doctoral training in the Yale Department of Psychology. From 2003 to 2008 she served as the Clinical Director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders.
Dr. Henderson's research currently focuses on environmental and policy changes to improve the nutrition and physical activity environment in school and childcare settings, and on development and dissemination of clear messages to aid families in making positive nutrition changes. Her research has been funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Healthy Eating Research, Active Living Research, and Transition Grants programs, as well as the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation. Dr. Henderson has published on the topics of environmental contributors to obesity, the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity, nutrition and physical activity in schools and child care, weight loss surgery, weight bias and stigma, and binge eating disorder. She has been invited to present on these topics to a wide range of academic, professional, and community groups.
Dr. Henderson also has many years of experience treating clinical eating disorders and obesity in children and adults.
Contact: (203) 432-4617; kathryn.e.henderson@yale.edu
In the News
New Haven School's Cafeteria is a Learning Experience
Six schools in New Haven, Connecticut will transform their cafeterias into learning labs with a chosen theme and health information. The makeover is part of the Health for Achievement project, a collaboration of the New Haven Public Schools, Community Alliance for Research and Engagement and the Rudd Center.
The New Haven Register, March 2013
10 Ways to Create a Healthy Food Environment at Home
Make a healthy food environment in your home the default option by following these ten steps.
Weight Loss Success Lifestyles, May 2009
Is Your Toddler Overweight? Tips to Monitor Children's Growth
Dr. Kathy Henderson, Director of School and Community Initiatives, discusses signs of overweight in young children, and recommends safe, practical solutions to encourage a healthier environment.
Babies Today, April 2009
Understanding & Improving the School Environment: Taking Nutrition and Physical Activity into your Own Hands
Improve students' nutrition and physical activity by joining your school wellness council.
Weight Loss Success Lifestyles, December 2008
Publications
Long MW, Luedicke J, Dorsey M, Fiore SS, Henderson KE. Impact of Connecticut legislation incentivizing
elimination of unhealthy competitive foods on
national school lunch program participation. American Journal of Public Health. 2013 May:1-8.
Andreyeva T, Luedicke J, Tripp AS, Henderson KE. Effects of reduced juice allowances in food packages for the Women, Infants, and Children Program. Pediatrics. 2013 Apr;131(5):919-927.
Middleton AE, Henderson KE, Schwartz MB. From policy to practice: Implementation of water policies in child care centers in Connecticut. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2013 Feb;45(2):119-125.
Andreyeva T, Luedicke J, Henderson KE, Tripp AS. Grocery store beverage choices by participants in federal food assistance and nutrition programs. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2012 Oct;43(4):411-418.
Schwartz MB, Henderson KE, Falbe J, Novak SA, Wharton CM, Long MW, O'Connell ML, Fiore SS. Strength and comprehensiveness of district school wellness policies predict policy implementation at the school level. Journal of School Health. 2012 Jun;82(6):262-267.
O'Connell ML, Henderson KE, Luedicke J, Schwartz MB. Repeated exposure in a natural setting: A preschool intervention to increase vegetable consumption. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2012 Feb:230-234.
Kenney EL, Henderson KE, Humphries D, Schwartz MB. Practice-based research to engage teachers and improve nutrition in the preschool setting. Childhood Obesity. 2011 Dec;7(6):475-479.
Falbe J, Kenney EL, Henderson KE, Schwartz MB. The Wellness Child Care Assessment Tool: A measure to assess the quality of written nutrition and physical activity policies. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2011 Dec;111(12):1852-1860.
Henderson KE, Grode GM, Middleton AE, Kenney EL, Falbe J, Schwartz MB. Validity of a measure to assess the child-care nutrition and physical activity environment. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2011 Sep;111:1306-1313.
Johnson-Taylor WL, Fisher R, Henderson K, Schwartz M. Attitudes of African American advocates toward childhood obesity. Ethnicity & Disease. 2011 Summer;21(3):268-273.
Six schools in New Haven, Connecticut will transform their cafeterias into learning labs with a chosen theme and health information. The makeover is part of the Health for Achievement project, a collaboration of the New Haven Public Schools, Community Alliance for Research and Engagement and the Rudd Center.
The New Haven Register, March 2013
Make a healthy food environment in your home the default option by following these ten steps.
Weight Loss Success Lifestyles, May 2009
Dr. Kathy Henderson, Director of School and Community Initiatives, discusses signs of overweight in young children, and recommends safe, practical solutions to encourage a healthier environment.
Babies Today, April 2009
Improve students' nutrition and physical activity by joining your school wellness council.
Weight Loss Success Lifestyles, December 2008
School Wellness Policies in New York State 5/16/13: Strong standards for school snacks increase lunches and revenue 3/7/13: Stronger support needed for healthy beverage practices in child care 5/15/12: Strong wellness policies improve Connecticut school environments 9/13/11: Promoting Healthy School Food: Yale Rudd Center Launches Parent Advocate WebsitePodcasts
Host: Kathryn Henderson, Guest(s): Ian Brissette, PhD
Unit Director, Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance Unit, New York State Department of Health
4/13/11
Press Releases
Schools that implement strong nutrition standards for snacks sold at school increase student meal participation and school revenue, according to a study by the Yale Rudd Center and the Harvard School of Public Health. The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, provides support for efforts to implement strong national nutrition standards for all food sold at school while promoting student participation in the National School Lunch
Support is needed in child care centers to help meet existing water policies and new water requirements included in the 2010 Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, according to a study published by the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. The study, published in the March/April 2013 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, is the first to document availability and accessibility of water in compliance with state and federal policy, and accreditation standards in child care centers.
Strong written school wellness policies lead to better food and more physical activity in schools, according to a study by the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. Published in the Journal of School Health, the study found that districts with strong and clearly written school wellness policies are more likely to actually implement better nutrition education, higher nutrition standards for school meals and other food at school, and more opportunities for physical activity.
The Rudd Center has launched a new website aimed at helping parents navigate through the complex issues of school food. The new website, Rudd SPARK — Supporting Parent Advocates with Resources and Knowledge — enables parent advocates to network with each other and provides access to Rudd Center research and resources.
