To combat obesity we should try many things beginning with this list:
*Tax soda (see Kelley Brownell's work),
*Revamp the farm bill so we don't subsidize corn (Read Michael Pollen),
*Change nutrition regulations for school breakfast and lunch (See 2009 Institute for Medicine report),
*Start a public health campaign encouraging children to walk to school (See iwalk international)
*Promote "victory" gardens on front lawns (Glad to see Mrs Obama planted her own)
*Have more health insurance polices pay for expert run weight control programs (Currently Medicare and private insurance pay for diabetes care but not preventative weight control programs)
*Fund Physical education programs in public schools.
*Promote a public health campaign -anti junk food like anti smoking (Read David Kessler- he has the experience to do this)
Showing posts with label public health campaign. Show all posts
Showing posts with label public health campaign. Show all posts
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Monday, July 6, 2009
Kesslers's campaign
Dr. David Kessler writes about our drive to overeat and the mechanisms that encourage the behavior in his new book entitled, "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite."
See the article in the Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124084009832659309.html
We eat and continue to crave high fat, high sugar salty foods even when we are full. Kesseler asks why and investigates how to overcome these urges?
Kessler holds the food industry responsible but conceeds that The food industry gives consumers exactly what we want. Processed foods are designed as highly stimulating products, encouraging us as consumers to ask for more. High fat, highly salted and sugary foods stimulate the reward centers in our brains. To overcome the stimuli we must replace one desire for another. Fast food for exercise? It can be done but it is not easy which is another reason group support helps. We are not alone in this; our culture via the food industry drives an obsession with food that encourages overeating and weight gain. Reteaching is essential and we must start now with the children in the schools and adults in the health clubs. Kessler is calling for a public health campaign and as he led the way with tobacco he can lead the way with food to improve our health and well being.
See the article in the Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124084009832659309.html
We eat and continue to crave high fat, high sugar salty foods even when we are full. Kesseler asks why and investigates how to overcome these urges?
Kessler holds the food industry responsible but conceeds that The food industry gives consumers exactly what we want. Processed foods are designed as highly stimulating products, encouraging us as consumers to ask for more. High fat, highly salted and sugary foods stimulate the reward centers in our brains. To overcome the stimuli we must replace one desire for another. Fast food for exercise? It can be done but it is not easy which is another reason group support helps. We are not alone in this; our culture via the food industry drives an obsession with food that encourages overeating and weight gain. Reteaching is essential and we must start now with the children in the schools and adults in the health clubs. Kessler is calling for a public health campaign and as he led the way with tobacco he can lead the way with food to improve our health and well being.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Americans are not following health advice
Fewer Americans are following healthy lifestyle advice than in the past despite more evidence pointing to the fact that lifestyle directly impacts health outcomes. Researchers compared data from two large scale National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)studies from 1988-1994 and from 2001-2006.
They looked at adults aged 40 to 74 years, because this is the age group where a first diagnosis of cardiovascular risk factors and disease usually arises. For the first period (1988 to 1994) the number in this age group was 7,340 (representing nearly 80 million people). The number for the second period (2001-2006) was 7,811 (representing about 65.5 million people).
The results showed that for this age group, during the 18 years between the two survey periods:
* The proportion of people with a BMI higher than 30 went up from 28 to 36 per cent.
* People doing exercise 12 times a month or more went down from 53 to 43 per cent.
* Smoking rates have not changed much (26.9 down to 26.1 per cent).
* People eating 5 or more fruits and vegetables a day went down from 42 to 26 per cent.
* People drinking moderate amounts of alcohol went up from 40 to 51 per cent.
* Overall, people adhering to all 5 healthy habits has gone down from 15 to 8 per cent of this population group.
* People with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or risk factors for these conditions, were no more likely to be following a healthy lifestyle than people without such factors.
They looked at adults aged 40 to 74 years, because this is the age group where a first diagnosis of cardiovascular risk factors and disease usually arises. For the first period (1988 to 1994) the number in this age group was 7,340 (representing nearly 80 million people). The number for the second period (2001-2006) was 7,811 (representing about 65.5 million people).
The results showed that for this age group, during the 18 years between the two survey periods:
* The proportion of people with a BMI higher than 30 went up from 28 to 36 per cent.
* People doing exercise 12 times a month or more went down from 53 to 43 per cent.
* Smoking rates have not changed much (26.9 down to 26.1 per cent).
* People eating 5 or more fruits and vegetables a day went down from 42 to 26 per cent.
* People drinking moderate amounts of alcohol went up from 40 to 51 per cent.
* Overall, people adhering to all 5 healthy habits has gone down from 15 to 8 per cent of this population group.
* People with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or risk factors for these conditions, were no more likely to be following a healthy lifestyle than people without such factors.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Nutrition in the News
Want great nutrition advice? Go to the Harvard nutrition web site and read current research in the news. Walter Willett heads the Harvard School of Public Health and offers a balanced, research based view. Check out the web site. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/nutrition-news/
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Kidney stones in children?
Upon reviewing nutrition news reports this morning I was surprised to see this headline, "Kidney Stones In Children On The Rise, Expert Says"
Typically, kidney stones are found in adults between the ages of 35 and 60 but the risk of kidney stones in kids is rising. Why? Well, the reasons are the same as why so many children are gaining weight. Our lifestyle puts them at risk. Children today are drinking sugar-filled drinks and a fast-food diet that is high in sodium, a known risk factor in the formation of kidney stones.
Our sedentary lifestyle also puts children at risk because children are gaining weight. As overweight and obesity rate rise for adults the rates in children are also rising and obesity increases the risk of forming kidney stones.
So, I come back to my rant for a public health campaign. It is all of us folks. The majority of Americans are gaining weight and the results are health issues in various forms-kidney stones in kids one more for the record books.
Typically, kidney stones are found in adults between the ages of 35 and 60 but the risk of kidney stones in kids is rising. Why? Well, the reasons are the same as why so many children are gaining weight. Our lifestyle puts them at risk. Children today are drinking sugar-filled drinks and a fast-food diet that is high in sodium, a known risk factor in the formation of kidney stones.
Our sedentary lifestyle also puts children at risk because children are gaining weight. As overweight and obesity rate rise for adults the rates in children are also rising and obesity increases the risk of forming kidney stones.
So, I come back to my rant for a public health campaign. It is all of us folks. The majority of Americans are gaining weight and the results are health issues in various forms-kidney stones in kids one more for the record books.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Dear President Obama
Dear President Obama,
We need a public health campaign to encourage Americans to improve fitness and lose weight. The obesity epidemic is a primary public health threat now. According to a study published in the July 2008 online issue of Obesity, most adults in the U.S. will be overweight or obese by 2030, with related health care spending projections as high as $956.9 billion, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. the trend lines has never faltered. It keeps rising year after year.
National leadership is necessary to ensure the participation of health officials and researchers, educators and legislators, transportation experts and urban planners, and businesses and nonprofit groups in developing and carrying out a public health campaign with a chance of success.
This has been done successfully before with smoking cessation. The template is set, we now need leadership.
Will you help?
We need a public health campaign to encourage Americans to improve fitness and lose weight. The obesity epidemic is a primary public health threat now. According to a study published in the July 2008 online issue of Obesity, most adults in the U.S. will be overweight or obese by 2030, with related health care spending projections as high as $956.9 billion, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. the trend lines has never faltered. It keeps rising year after year.
National leadership is necessary to ensure the participation of health officials and researchers, educators and legislators, transportation experts and urban planners, and businesses and nonprofit groups in developing and carrying out a public health campaign with a chance of success.
This has been done successfully before with smoking cessation. The template is set, we now need leadership.
Will you help?
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