Marlene B. Schwartz, PhD
Dr. Schwartz serves as Acting Director for the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University. She received her PhD in Psychology from Yale University in 1996. Prior to joining the Rudd Center, she served as Co-Director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders from 1996 to 2006. Dr. Schwartz's research and community service addresses how home environments, school landscapes, neighborhoods, and the media shape the eating attitudes and behaviors of children. She has collaborated with the Connecticut State Department of Education to evaluate nutrition and physical activity policies in schools and preschools throughout the state. She co-chaired the Connecticut Obesity Task Force in 2010 and has provided expert testimony on obesity-related state policies. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Food Bank. Dr. Schwartz has received research grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Institutes of Health to study school wellness policies, the preschool nutrition environment, the effect of food marketing on children, the relationship between food insecurity and nutrition, and how federal food programs can improve the accessibility and affordability of healthy foods in low-income neighborhoods. Dr. Schwartz's life and career were profiled by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Contact: (203) 432-0662; marlene.schwartz@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
Food Banks Adopting Healthy Food Standards
Food banks across the country are adopting policies to make sure the people they serve get nutritious meals, according to Rudd Center research.
Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/blog/bal-food-banks-healthy-food,0,6572397.story#ixzz2Qkjw0pHH
The Baltimore Sun, February 2013
Junk Food Laws in Schools May Mean Healthier Kids
Children are more likely to maintain a healthy body weight if they live in a state with strong laws that regulate the sale of junk food and sugary drinks as opposed to their peers who live in states with weak laws, according to a study published in Pediatrics.
U.S. News & World Report, August 2012
Cereal Makers have Made Progress on Nutrition – but Spend More on Advertising to Children
Cereal makers have made progress in improving the nutritional content of cereals marketed to children – but they have also increased child-directed advertising of some of their least nutritious products.
Food Navigator, June 2012
Can Parents Trust Cereal Companies?
As a researcher, I know the importance of making sure children eat breakfast. Children who eat breakfast have better nutrition, do better in school and are less likely to be overweight than children who skip the first meal of the day. But as a mother of three, I also know how hard it can be to get your children to actually eat breakfast. Mornings are hectic and my three teenage girls are more concerned about their clothes and hair than their calcium and fiber. Healthy ready-to-eat cereals are a great option.
The Huffington Post, June 2001
Publications
Roberto CA, Haynos AF, Schwartz MB, Brownell KD, White MA. Calorie estimation accuracy and menu labeling perceptions among individuals with and without binge eating and/or purging disorders. Eating and Weight Disorders. 2013 May:1-7.
Martinez OD, Roberto CA, Kim JH, Schwartz MB, Brownell KD. A Survey of undergraduate student perceptions and use of nutrition information labels in a university dining hall. Health Education Journal. 2013 May;72(3):319-325.
Harris JL, Sarda V, Schwartz MB, Brownell KD. Redefining “child-directed advertising” to reduce unhealthy television food advertising. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2013 Mar;44(4):358-364.
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.
Handforth B, Hennick M, Schwartz MB. A qualitative study of nutrition-based initiatives at selected food banks in the Feeding America network. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2013 Mar;113(3):411-415.
Schwartz MB. Environmental and Policy Strategies to Improve Eating, Physical Activity Behaviors, and Weight Among Adolescents. Adolescent Medicine. 2012 Dec;23:589-609.
Roberto CA, Bragg CA, Schwartz MB, Seamans MJ, Musicus A, Novak N, Brownell KD. Facts Up Front versus Traffic Light food labels. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2012 Aug;43(2):134-141.
Andreyeva T, Luedicke J, Middleton AE, Long MW, Schwartz MB. Positive influence of the revised Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children food packages on access to healthy foods. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2012 Jun;112(6):850-858.
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.
Schwartz MB, Ustjanauskas A. Food marketing to youth: Current threats and opportunities. Childhood Obesity. 2012 Apr;8(2):85-88.
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
Food banks across the country are adopting policies to make sure the people they serve get nutritious meals, according to Rudd Center research. Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/blog/bal-food-banks-healthy-food,0,6572397.story#ixzz2Qkjw0pHH
The Baltimore Sun, February 2013
Children are more likely to maintain a healthy body weight if they live in a state with strong laws that regulate the sale of junk food and sugary drinks as opposed to their peers who live in states with weak laws, according to a study published in Pediatrics.
U.S. News & World Report, August 2012
Cereal makers have made progress in improving the nutritional content of cereals marketed to children – but they have also increased child-directed advertising of some of their least nutritious products.
Food Navigator, June 2012
As a researcher, I know the importance of making sure children eat breakfast. Children who eat breakfast have better nutrition, do better in school and are less likely to be overweight than children who skip the first meal of the day. But as a mother of three, I also know how hard it can be to get your children to actually eat breakfast. Mornings are hectic and my three teenage girls are more concerned about their clothes and hair than their calcium and fiber. Healthy ready-to-eat cereals are a great option.
The Huffington Post, June 2001
Podcasts
Howard County Unsweetened
Host: Marlene Schwartz, Guest(s): Glenn E. Schneider, MPH, Nikki Highsmith Vernick, MPA
Chief Program Officer; President and Chief Executive Officer; The Horizon Foundation
3/26/13
Childhood Obesity Prevention Strategies
Host: Marlene Schwartz, Guest(s): Ronette Briefel, DrPH, RD
Senior Fellow, Mathematica Policy Research
11/7/12
Communities Putting Prevention to Work
Host: Marlene Schwartz, Guest(s): Terry O’Toole, PhD, FASHA
Health Scientist, Division of Adolescent and School Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
11/10/10
CDC School Health Surveillance Systems
Host: Marlene Schwartz, Guest(s): Terry O’Toole, PhD, FASHA
Health Scientist, Division of Adolescent and School Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
11/10/10
Changing the Food Environment by Working with Food Stores
Host: Marlene Schwartz, Guest(s): Joel Gittelsohn, PhD
Professor, Center for Human Nutrition, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
12/4/09
Press Releases
3/12/13: Industry self-regulation permits junk food ads in programming popular with children
Loopholes in industry self-regulation allow food companies to continue to reach large numbers of children with advertising for unhealthy products — such as fast food, candy, and cookies — during “tween” programs and popular children’s holiday specials. The study by the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity is published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
3/7/13: Stronger support needed for healthy beverage practices in child care
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.
2/26/13: Food banks addressing obesity with nutrition-related policies
Food banks are altering their nutrition-related policies and practices to address concerns about the rise in obesity and diet-related diseases among individuals struggling to afford food, according to a study by the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. The study, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, examines these strategies and identifies the challenges and opportunities related to their implementation.
10/29/12: Survey shows parents support policies limiting unhealthy food marketing to children
Parents are concerned about food marketing and the way it impacts their children’s eating habits and would support policies to limit the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to children, according to a study from Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.
6/22/12: Cereal FACTS 2012: A spoonful of progress in a bowl full of unhealthy marketing to kids
Cereal companies have improved the nutritional quality of most cereals marketed directly to children, but they also have increased advertising to children for many of their least nutritious products, according to a report by the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.
