Obesity and Health

feet on a bathroom scale

Obesity increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and other chronic diseases. Unfortunately, obesity has more than doubled across the globe since 1980, according to the World Health Organization.

RAND Health studies the complex interplay of diet, exercise, genetics, medical conditions, and socioeconomic factors in this global public health problem, with a special focus on childhood obesity.

From the RAND Blog

Ruling Can Lead to Tougher New York Soda Ban — Mar 12, 2013

a glass of cola with ice cubesNew York should see the judge's ruling as an opportunity to revise the law to close the loopholes, including the Big Gulp exemption, and develop regulations in line with the scientific consensus that even 16 ounces is way too much, writes Deborah Cohen.

The Super Bowl Halftime Show Should Not Be Promoting a Public Health Threat — Feb 1, 2013

People who consume just one or two sugar-sweetened drinks a day have a 26 percent greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people who rarely drink these beverages, write Kristin Van Busum and Lauren Hunter.

Latest Research and Publications

Both Peers and Parents May Influence Body Image Among Young Adolescents

measuring waistGetting along with peers and fear of being viewed negatively by them may influence the difference between how adolescents view their body size and what they think the ideal size should be. Those with warm, nurturing parents are more likely to have positive views about their body size.

Safely Navigating the Grocery Store Can Be Harder Than It Sounds

Have you ever come home with a grocery bag full of food that you didn't mean to buy? That's because you might have less control over your food choices than you think.

Predictors of Parent-Child Relationships That Support Physical Activity

father and son playing soccerFamily environments present opportunities for interventions that promote physical activity. Family members share genetic risk factors associated with chronic health conditions, and physical inactivity tends to cluster within families and households.
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Featured Research Brief

Cover: Pathways to Obesity

Pathways to Obesity: Are People "Hardwired" to Overeat?

This fact sheet summarizes research on mechanisms that affect overeating but that operate below the level of individual awareness and beyond individual control.

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