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Obesity

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Obesity is associated with such diseases as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular problems, hypertension, stroke, and some forms of cancer. RAND has investigated and continues to research the complicated interaction between environmental and genetic factors that contribute to the adult and childhood obesity crisis in the United States.

News Release
Strengthening School Lunch Nutritional Standards May Help Improve Obesity Outlook for Low-Income Children
Regulations that strengthened the nutritional requirements for school lunches were associated with a decline in signs of obesity among school children in kindergarten through 5th grade who participated in free or reduced-price lunch programs.
May 5, 2022
Research Brief
2018 Health Related Behaviors Survey: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Among the Active Component
Findings from the 2018 Health Related Behaviors Survey of members of the U.S. military's active component include results for physical activity, weight status, screen time, annual physical assessment, sleep health, and use of substances to stay awake.
Apr 28, 2021

Explore Obesity

Journal Article
Food Insecurity, Sleep, and Cardiometabolic Risks in Urban American Indian/Alaska Native Youth
Food insecurity contributes to racial/ethnic disparities in health. This is the first study to examine associations among food insecurity, sleep, and cardiometabolic outcomes in urban American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth.
Nov 4, 2022
Journal Article
Associations of a National Tax on Non-Essential High Calorie Foods with Changes in Consumer Prices
This study evaluates the price effect of Mexico's tax on high calorie non-essential foods and shows that prices of taxed foods increased soon after the tax and that higher price persisted for at least two years.
Sep 15, 2022
Blog
Truth Decay, School Lunch Nutrition, Regulating Space: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on tackling Truth Decay, how civilian tech experts view the military's use of artificial intelligence, a new approach to regulating outer space, and more.
May 13, 2022
Report
Is Today's U.S. Air Force Fit? It Depends on How Fitness Is Measured
In this report, the authors examine metrics used to monitor the fitness of airmen, and through their analyses of fitness data, they make a case for using multiple measures to gain a more accurate assessment of the health and fitness of the force.
May 2, 2022
Report
Physical Fitness Standards to Support Readiness and Deployability: An Examination of Department of the Air Force Policies and Culture
Through analyses involving the Air Force's Tier 1 fitness assessment (FA), the authors examine whether FA components meet their intended purpose to minimize health risks and maximize readiness of airmen.
May 2, 2022
Journal Article
Organizational and Geographic Nursing Home Characteristics Associated With Increasing Prevalence of Resident Obesity in the United States
The objective of this study was to examine the associations between nursing home obesity prevalence rate and nursing home organizational, staffing, resident, and geographic factors within a profit maximization framework.
Feb 8, 2022
Journal Article
Bittersweet: How Prices of Sugar-Rich Foods Contribute to the Diet-Related Disease Epidemic in Mexico
I provide new evidence on how price changes of nutritionally similar foods, such as those rich in sugar or fats, change obesity and diet-related diseases in the context of Mexico between 1996–2010.
Jan 13, 2022
Journal Article
Longitudinal Associations Between Changes in Cigarette Smoking and Alcohol Use, Eating Behavior, Perceived Stress, and Self-Rated Health in a Cohort of Low-Income Black Adults
We found significant longitudinal associations between smoking behavior and eating behavior, perceived stress, and self-rated health. This has implications for the development of behavior change programs and community-level interventions and policies.
Aug 27, 2021
News Release
U.S. Service Members in Generally Good Health, but Risky Behaviors Persist
U.S. military service members are mostly healthy but the level of risky behaviors such as binge drinking, tobacco use, and unprotected sex is cause for concern.
Apr 28, 2021
Infographic
Assessing the Health Readiness of Active Component Airmen: Results from Air Force Respondents to the HRBS
The 2018 Health Related Behaviors Survey sought information on the health and health behaviors of service members. This infographic reports key findings for active component members in the Air Force.
Apr 28, 2021
Infographic
Assessing the Health Readiness of Active Component Coast Guardsmen: Results from Coast Guard Respondents to the HRBS
The 2018 Health Related Behaviors Survey sought information on the health and health behaviors of service members. This infographic reports key findings for active component members in the Coast Guard.
Apr 28, 2021
Infographic
Assessing the Health Readiness of Active Component Marines: Results from Marine Corps Respondents to the HRBS
The 2018 Health Related Behaviors Survey sought information on the health and health behaviors of service members. This infographic reports key findings for active component members in the Marine Corps.
Apr 28, 2021
Infographic
Assessing the Health Readiness of Active Component Sailors: Results from Navy Respondents to the HRBS
The 2018 Health Related Behaviors Survey sought information on the health and health behaviors of service members. This infographic reports key findings for active component members in the Navy.
Apr 28, 2021
Infographic
Assessing the Health Readiness of Air Force Reservists: Results from Air Force Reserve Respondents to the HRBS
The 2018 Health Related Behaviors Survey sought information on the health and health behaviors of service members. This infographic reports key findings for reserve component members in the Air Force Reserve.
Apr 28, 2021
Infographic
Assessing the Health Readiness of Army National Guard Members: Results from Army National Guard Respondents to the HRBS
The 2018 Health Related Behaviors Survey sought information on the health and health behaviors of service members. This infographic reports key findings for reserve component members in the Army National Guard.
Apr 28, 2021
Infographic
Assessing the Health Readiness of Army Reservists: Results from Army Reserve Respondents to the HRBS
The 2018 Health Related Behaviors Survey sought information on the health and health behaviors of service members. This infographic reports key findings for reserve component members in the Army Reserve.
Apr 28, 2021
Infographic
Assessing the Health Readiness of Coast Guard Reservists: Results from Coast Guard Reserve Respondents to the HRBS
The 2018 Health Related Behaviors Survey sought information on the health and health behaviors of service members. This infographic reports key findings for reserve component members in the Coast Guard Reserve.
Apr 28, 2021
Report
2018 Department of Defense Health Related Behaviors Survey (HRBS): Results for the Active Component
In this report, RAND researchers review survey methods, sample demographics, key findings, and policy implications from the 2018 Health Related Behaviors Survey of active component service members.
Apr 28, 2021
Report
Reserve Component Results from the Health Related Behaviors Survey
Findings from the 2018 Health Related Behaviors Survey of reserve component service members relate to health promotion and disease prevention, substance use, mental and emotional health, physical health and functional limitations, sexual behavior and health, sexual orientation and health, and deployment experiences and health.
Apr 28, 2021

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Stephanie Stockwell

Analyst

Stephanie Stockwell (she/her) is an analyst at RAND Europe focusing on health and wellbeing. Her research interests include lifestyle behaviours such as physical activity and sedentary behaviour, health over the life course with particular interest in child and older adult populations, disease…
Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar

Senior Statistician

Madhumita (Bonnie) Ghosh-Dastidar is head of the Statistics Group and a senior statistician at the RAND Corporation. Her areas of policy are health and social and economic well-being and her work includes evaluations of neighborhood-level interventions, randomized trails to assess the effect of…

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