News
January 22, 2012 Call For Papers on School Food for Childhood Obesity Journal, due April 1
Ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food within the school environment is critical to the health and well-being of children and adolescents. Childhood Obesity, the premier journal and central forum on childhood and adolescent obesity, is seeking submissions for a special issue on school food. We welcome submissions from health and nutrition professionals; school food service professionals; and advocates, partners, and policymakers at the local, state, and national level, that address topics related to school food, including the Hunger-Free Kids Act, the new Farm Bill, promotion of nutrition education, and ensuring the sustainability of Farm to School Programs.
The special issue will be partially supported by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
For information on manuscript submission visit http://www.liebertpub.com/chi.
January 10, 2012 The merge of Hawaii Medical Journal and Hawaii Journal of Public Health
It is with pleasure that the Editorial Board and staff announce the melding of the Hawai‘i Medical Journal and the Hawai‘i Journal of Public Health to form the Hawai‘i Journal of Medicine & Public Health, effective January 1, 2012.
The new journal will improve communication among the medicine and public health communities, increase readership and advance our expertise in areas of significant community interest. The Hawaii Journal of Medicine & Public Health is fully indexed in PubMed and freely available to readers world-wide. While we welcome submissions from any location, our focus is on Hawai‘i and the Pacific Rim and populations from Hawai‘i and the Pacific who have settled in other areas. Authors may submit:
· Original Articles, Editorials, and Theoretical Papers
To submit articles or to subscribe to the journal, please visit www.hjmph.org. For organizational subscriptions and other inquiries, please contact the subscription manager at info@hjmph.org. HPHA members will continue to receive this journal for free as part of their member benefits. A link can be found each month in our Weekly Eblast.
January 2, 2012 'Stop Sugarcoating' Child Obesity Ad Draws Controversy
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta chose the straightforward approach after its survey of two towns in Georgia found that 50 percent of parents did not know childhood obesity was a problem and 75 percent of parents with obese children did not think their child was overweight. According to health communication experts, successful public health campaigns offer a clear call to action. Labbok says the Georgia ads address the problem, but don't give viewers a clear solution.
January 1, 2012 AHA Urges Governor Abercrombie to Combat Obesity in Hawaii
The U.S. is faced with an obesity epidemic of historical proportion. More than 72 million adults are obese, and in Hawaii approximately one in three children entering kindergarten are overweight or obese. In 2009, obesity cost Hawaii $329 million in related medical costs.
In recent decades, Americans have increased their consumption of “added sugars,” a common source of “empty calories” with little or no nutritional value. Sugar-sweetened beverages are the largest single source of excess calories in the U.S. diet, contributing to overweight and obesity.
American Heart Association science studies and reports support a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages will combat the obesity epidemic by discouraging consumption among youths, managing healthcare costs, and creating revenue from the beverage tax to fund comprehensive public health programs that reduce obesity.
Earlier this year, Governor Abercrombie indicated support for a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages.
Please tell him you support policy to help prevent childhood obesity in Hawaii and ask him to make sugar-sweetened beverage taxation a legislative priority in 2012.
December 21, 2011 PRAMS 2009 Reports are Live!
The Hawaii Health Data Warehouse is happy to announce the launch of the 2009 reports for the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) for Hawaii. The PRAMS survey collects information on maternal health and behavior before, during, and shortly after pregnancy. On the warehouse, health measures are presented in reports broken down by geographic location, race, age, marital status, income, smoking practices, WIC participation, birth weight, and infant gender for the years 2000 to 2009. Counts, percentages, and 95% confidence intervals are provided, in addition to a trend analysis that displays changes in the indicator over time. The reports are categorized into four topic areas: Maternal and Child Health, Injuries, Substance Abuse, and Tobacco Use.
Here are some highlights from the PRAMS 2009 data for Hawaii:
· Alcohol consumption during the last 3 months of pregnancy continues to rise, with 2009 demonstrating the highest rate over the past 10 years (6.7%). For more information, click here.
· Breastfeeding was initiated by 93.3% of mothers in 2009. Maui County had the highest rate at 97.5%, while Hawaii County had the lowest at 92.5%. For more information, click here.
· Mothers under 20 years of age reported the highest rate of stressors in the 12 months prior to pregnancy; 76.0% replied they had experienced at least one stressor during this time period. The rate decreases as the age of the mother increases. For more information, click here.
· Physical abuse during pregnancy is highest for those with the lowest income. For those reporting income under $10,000 a year, 9.4% said they had experienced physical abuse by a husband or partner during their pregnancy. For more information, click here.
December 8, 2011 Childhood Obesity Interventions Focusing on Environment Pay Off
Childhood obesity prevention programs targeted to children aged 6 to 12 years that emphasize improving nutrition and physical activity levels are generally effective and worth the investment, according to a review of evidence on obesity intervention strategies around the world.
An international team of researchers conducted a review of 55 studies on childhood obesity prevention programs. The results were published online December 7 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. The publication is an update to a Cochrane Review from 2005, which included 22 studies.
November 13, 2011 Sugar-sweetened Beverages May Increase Cardiovascular Risk in Women
Drinking two or more sugar-sweetened beverages a day may expand a woman’s waistline and increase her risk of heart disease and diabetes, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2011. In this study, researchers compared middle-aged and older women who drank two or more sugar-sweetened beverages a day, such as carbonated sodas or flavored waters with added sugar, to women who drank one or less daily. Women consuming two or more beverages per day were nearly four times as likely to develop high triglycerides, and were significantly more likely to increase their waist sizes and to develop impaired fasting glucose levels. The same associations were not observed in men.
November 11, 2011 AAP Endorses New Cholesterol Screening Rules for Children
Regular cholesterol screening should be performed for children ages 9 to 11 and again for young adults ages 17 to 21, to identify early risks for heart disease, according to updated guidelines released by the NIH and endorsed by the AAP. The guidelines, which appear in the journal Pediatrics, include suggestions for improving cardiovascular health, such as regular physical activity and protection from tobacco smoke.
November 10, 2011 Sugary Drink FACTS Evaluating Sugary Drink Nutrition and Marketing to Youth
The Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity completed a report last month offering valuable information on "sugary drinks". This report highlights the substantial exposure that young people have to marketing for sugary drinks, such as sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks and fruit drinks, according to a new report. The companies examined in the report regularly market unhealthy drinks to young people through a variety of media, and in doing so they target black and Hispanic youths in particular.
The report was supported by grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Rudd Foundation. It is available at www.sugarydrinkfacts.org.
See Full Report here.
Novemer 9, 2011 Nurse Helps Disadvantaged Hawaiians Overcome Poverty and Become Nurses
Jamie Kamailani Boyd learned the art of nursing from her late grandmother, a nurse who raised Boyd when she was a young girl. She became a nurse's aide at a mental health institution and was horrified by what she saw. She became a nurse practitioner at health center clinics in Maui and Oahu, earned her doctorate in nursing, became a professor and created the Pathway out of Poverty program at Windward Community College. For developing an approach to breaking the cycle of poverty and improving the quality of nursing care, Boyd has been named one of 10 recipients of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Community Health Leaders Award.
The "Forging the Future" special double issue is arguably the most comprehensive publication to date on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI), demographic data trends, and federal policy—including policy briefs on Civil Rights, Economic Development, Education, Health, and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders by over 50 leading AANHPI scholars, applied-researchers, and community leaders from all over the nation. Click here to see Journal.
October 17, 2011 CMS Innovation Advisors Program
The CMS Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation is now accepting applications for their new Innovation Advisors Program. This program seeks to train and support dedicated, skilled individuals in the healthcare system to deepen several key skill sets including healthcare economics and finance, population health, systems analysis, and operations research.
The application deadline for the first round is November 15, and the first group of Innovation Advisors will start their six-month intensive orientation and applied research period in December 2011. You can learn more about this program and access the application on the CMS website: http://innovations.cms.gov/innovation-advisors-program/
October 10, 2011 California Governor Signs Bill Requiring Accurate Collection of Inforation on Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians & Pacific Islanders
Legislation requiring key state agencies to collect and post information about job programs participation and employment and housing discrimination faced by Asian and Pacific Islander ethnicities was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown late last night.
Current law already requires the collection and disaggregation of some Asian and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander groups, such as Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, and Samoan. However, many emerging ethnic groups are not included in the law, and there are no mechanisms in place to respond to growth in populations. AB 1088 requires that data collected by the California Department of Industrial Relations and the Department of Fair Employment and Housing be disaggregated using the same categories used by the Census Bureau, including Bangladeshi, Fijian, Hmong, Indonesian, Malaysian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Taiwanese, Thai, and Tongan. In addition, the data would also be made more accessible online.
August 24, 2011 U.S. Census Bureau Releases 2010 Census Population Counts for American Samoa
The U.S. Census Bureau announces the 2010 Census population counts for American Samoa. On April 1, 2010, the population was 55,519. This represented a decrease of 3.1 percent from the 2000 Census population of 57,291. These custom maps: (Population Totals, Population change) show the population by county and percent change in population by county. As part of the 2010 Census, the Census Bureau worked with the American Samoa government to enumerate and gather detailed data on population and housing characteristics. Next year, more 2010 Census statistics will be available for American Samoa in a demographic profile. For more information, click here.
August 23, 2011 FoodCorps: Nutrition Education for Children
FoodCorps, which started last week, is a national service program that aims to improve nutrition education for children, develop school gardening projects and change what’s being served on school lunch trays. 50 service members, most of them in their 20s, just went to work at 41 sites in 10 states, from Maine to Oregon and Michigan to Mississippi. (FoodCorps concentrates on communities with high rates of childhood obesity or limited access to healthy food, though these days every state has communities like that). Curt Ellis, co-creator of the movie, “King Corn,” is running the show with Debra Eschmeyer, formerly of the National Farm to School Network, and Cecily Upton, formerly of Slow Food USA. FoodCorps is part of the AmeriCorps, from which it receives about a third of its budget. Most of the money comes from sources like the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and individual donors. For more information on FoodCorps, go their website http://foodcorps.org.
August 22, 2011 Is Online Marketing Disguised as Games Making Kids Obese?
A new policy statement by the the American Academy of Pediatrics says interactive marketing of junk food online may be contributing to child obesity. TIME's Alice Park shows a few examples of how companies are reaching kids online. Watch full video report here.
August 22, 2011 Walking School Bus Programs Take Off
A walking school bus isn't yellow, burns no gas, and is fueled by human energy. The "wheels" on this "bus" go round and round when small groups of children pedal their bikes or walk to school as adults supervise them along the route. A recent study of the program showed that participating students increased the amount and intensity of their physical activity, a big step toward stemming rising rates of childhood obesity. "Active commuting could help to broadly improve youth physical activity and prevent chronic disease," the study researchers write.
August 21, 2011 Pinelias School District Removes Sugary Drinks from Vending Machines
Starting this fall, Pinellas County high school students will find new vending machines on campus. They will remove soft drinks and sugary beverages and replace them with fruit juices and flavored water. Federal lawmakers last year passed the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act that calls for healthier options in school vending machines. A portion of a community grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — about $1.3 million — also will be used to pay for marketing the drinks to students, said Peggy Johns, the district's prekindergarten to 12th-grade health education supervisor. Students will pay $1 or less for the drinks, Dunham said.
August 15, 2011 Childhood Obesity, Drug Abuse Tied for First Place on the 2011 Children's Health Issues Report
Childhood obesity remains atop the list of Child health concerns for the fourth straight year. The Children's Health Issue Report is a nationally representative household survey conducted exclusively by Knowledge Networks, Inc. (KN), for C.S. Mott Children's Hospital via a method used in many published studies.
August 14, 2011 Overweight 2-year-olds Showing Signs of Major Health Problems
Dr. Sarah Messiah, a research associate professor and pediatric epidemiologist at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine, published a paper demonstrating for the first time that overweight children as young as age 2 are showing signs of metabolic syndrome, a condition that can lead to heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
July 11, 2011 How Food Prices Affect Your Weight
A new report from the USDA looked at the body mass index (BMI) of children and how it changed in response to food prices. Unsurprisingly, if prices increased 10% for soda, children's BMIs dropped .42%. That's 50% of a 8-year-old's normal weight gain for a year. That seems like a fairly large argument for a soda tax, but the study also found that helping people buy healthy food may be even more effective than penalizing them for buying unhealthy food.
See also, Cost and BMI Report Summary.
June 16, 2011 Teenage Obesity Increases Later Cancer Risk
Study of 20,000 medical records of obese teenage males who attended the Harvard School of Public Health between 1916 and 1950 found the risk of cancer remained even among those who lost weight later in life.
June 1, 2011 Is Frequency of Shared Family Meals Related to the Nutritional Health of Children?
This study published in Pediatrics explores the frequency of shared family mealtimes in relation to nutritional health in children and adolescents. It was conducted using 17 studies that examined overweight and obese, food consumption and eating patterns, and disordered eating. The results suggest that shared family mealtimes may improve the health of children and adolescents. Click here for article.
June 2011 Institute of Medicine's Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Policies
The Institute of Medicine discusses the importance of early detection and preventive measures of obesity in children in this report brief. Creating healthy behaviors, primarily less screen time and more hours of sleep.
May 13, 2011 2010 NHPI Population Distribution
1.2 million Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders were counted in the 2010 Census. Overall, there was a 30 percent population increase from the 2000 Census. In a presentation set for May 19, 2011 at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington D.C., demographers from the U.S. Census Bureau will discuss this rapid growth, and provide insights to distributions of the Asian and Pacific Islander populations across the country. They also will preview upcoming Census data that offer more detailed ethnic breakdowns of the Asian and Pacific Islander populations. To see the NHPI Population distribution map click here.
May 13, 2011 School Intervention May improve Kids' Heart Health Long Term
Middle school students who were offered healthier cafeteria food, more physical education and lessons about health choices improved their cholesterol levels and resting heart rates, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research 2011 Scientific Sessions.
May 03, 2011 Pregnancy Malnutrition Raises Kids' Obesity Odds
Some of the first hints of later life consequences of maternal undernutrition during pregnancy come from the study of people born during the Dutch Hunger Winter of 1944-1945. These people were much more likely to become obese adults if their mothers had been exposed to famine conditions during the first half of their pregnancy.
April 15, 2011 Kaiser Permanente Hawai'i Community Health Needs Assessment Released
The 2010 Hawaii Community Health Needs Assessment- Community Voices On Health will be used to develop a community benefits strategic plan and related programming efforts for the next three years (2011-2013). The assessment report looks at Hawaii's overall demographics, health status, health disparities, and gaps in health care services. The report also covers trends in social and economic determinants of health.
April 11, 2011 UH Medical School, Community Partners Launch Hawaii 5-2-1-0 Campaign
The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), its Department of Pediatrics, and the Hawai‘i Initiative for Childhood Obesity Research and Education (HICORE) are launching a new community campaign to prevent childhood obesity. Several local healthcare organizations are supporting this collaborative effort. Based at the JABSOM Department of Pediatrics, the Hawai‘i 5-2-1-0 Let’s Go Initiative aims to prevent childhood obesity through a coordinated, health education campaign which promotes a healthy lifestyle message.
March 25 2011 Resources on Health Effects of Sugar Sweetened Beverages
Informational briefing on the health effects of sweetened drink has been re-scheduled for Monday, March 28 at 3:00 pm in room 229 of the Capitol.
Background Information:
Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy: Issue Overview and Fact Sheets
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes and Public Health
Center for Disease Control: Does Drinking Beverages with Added Sugars Increase the Risk of Overweight?
February 2011 Childhood Exercise Leads to Sustained Improvements in Bone Mass
Researchers supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) have found evidence that high impact physical activity during childhood and early adolescence can lead to long-term improvements in bone mass, even after the cessatioInformational briefing on the health effects of sweetened drink is scheduled for Monday, March 28 at 3:00 pm in room 229 of the Capitol.n of exercise. Their study was published in a recent issue of Osteoporosis International.
February 25, 2011 Maternal, Pregnancy, and Birth Characteristics of Asians and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders
In 1997, the Office of Management and Budget issued revised standards for reporting race and ethnicity in federal datasets. To quantify the health status of NHPI mothers and infants in King County, Washington, 2003--2008 vital statistics for NHPI disaggregated from Asians were used to assess several key maternal and birth outcome indicators.
January 20, 2011 Surgeon general calls for action to support breast-feeding
U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin today will issue a call to remove obstacles that prevent women, especially working mothers, from breast-feeding. She is urging health care professionals to emphasize the benefits of breast-feeding. Many companies are directed under the new health care law to provide time and privacy for breast-feeding employees.
January 20, 2011 Experts say early intervention is key to obesity prevention
Pediatric and nutrition experts say paying attention to early growth patterns in children and providing age-appropriate interventions if needed can help prevent obesity. They say programs aimed at infants, while controversial, can have an impact and the prenatal environment also plays a role in a child's future weight and health.
January 18, 2011 Experts look to combat poor sleep habits in children
Studies show that sleep is a significant contributing factor in children's risk of later mental illnesses, especially anxiety disorders and depression, but many youngsters have difficulty getting the recommended hours of sleep. Experts say parents can help their children get enough sleep by setting a regular bedtime and limiting screen-time hours before bed. A team of clinicians also is working on a technique that teaches children to reduce anxious thoughts to ease sleep problems.
January 4, 2011 Obesity in Nauru: Highest in the world? (VIDEO)
The tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru holds that honor. At only 8.1 sq. miles, with a population of less than 10,000, the country's inhabitants have virtually become giants.
December 16, 2010 Study links early schooling in girls to lower obesity risk
Data from about 6,000 U.S. girls showed that those who were able to start school at a younger age had a significantly lower risk of being overweight or obese during adolescence than counterparts who began schooling later. Researchers said that the link could be attributed to peer influence, although a similar trend was not found in boys.
December 14, 2010 Child Nutrition Act: Key Changes the New Law Delivers
This week President Obama signed into law the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. The $4.5 billion bill aims to make school foods more nutritious and expand the reach of lunches and dinners to thousands of children. But how exactly will it impact the future health of America's children? Here are 12 key points of the new law.
November 2010 Guide to the new growth chart recommendations: ‘Use WHO for under 2’
The CDC and the AAP are calling for clinicians to use World Health Organization growth curves for children up to 23 months and the CDC growth curves for older children.
October 27, 2011 Prevention Works—AJPH special issue features Prevention Institute
The November issue of the American Journal of Public Health helps prove that, in the words of Ray Baxter of Kaiser Permanente and Bob Ross of The California Endowment, "Prevention works."
October 21, 2010 Lunch Line Redesign
School cafeterias are much criticized for offering the kind of snack foods and desserts that contribute to childhood obesity. But banning junk food from cafeterias, as some schools have tried, or serving only escarole or tofu, can backfire. Students then skip lunch, bring in their own snacks or head out for fast food. We’ve even seen some pizzas delivered to a side door.
October 7, 2010 Pediatrician has prescription to fight obesity
Some of Dr. Maria Brown's young patients won't be getting a prescription they can fill at a pharmacy. Instead, they'll be instructed to fill their lungs with fresh air, feel the sunlight on their skin and stretch their muscles in the great outdoors. They will be told to walk around the block, visit a nature center or take a bike ride with their parents.
October 7, 2010 Insufficient Sleep, Diet, and Obesity
What is the problem and what is known about it so far?
Obesity is a substantial risk factor for serious illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Patients are usually advised to reduce their weight by restricting caloric intake (dieting) and increasing the amount of daily exercise. Some experts also believe that lack of sufficient sleep may contribute to obesity.
October 5, 2010 Sweetened Beverage Tax any link to job losses?
Man Eating Sugar. New York City Health Department.
You'd never eat 16 packs of sugar. Why would you drink 16 packs of sugar? There are 16 packs of sugar in one 20 oz. bottle of soda. All those extra calories can bring on obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Go with water, fat-free milk, seltzer or unsweetened tea instead.
September 23, 2010 Overweight kids face bias from own moms, dads
Study finds parents less willing to help buy car, pay tuition for obese offspring. Overweight youngsters may face discrimination at school and in relationships, but a U.S. study has found they can also receive harsher treatment at home — from their own parents.
September 14, 2010 Native Hawaiians: Vulnerability to early death at all ages
ANN ARBOR, Mich.---Throughout their lives, Native Hawaiians have higher risks of death than white Americans, according to a University of Michigan study.
The research is the first known study to assess mortality patterns among Native Hawaiians at the national level, including those living outside the state of Hawaii.
Contact: Diane Swanbrow, swanbrow@umich.edu, (734) 647-9069
EDITORS: Images are available at: http://www.ns.umich.edu/Releases/2010/Sep10/hawaii.html
September 9, 2010 New recommendations for use of growth charts
With support from the AAP and National Institutes of Health, the CDC has released a recommendation that U.S. clinicians use the 2006 World Health Organization international growth charts, rather than the 2000 CDC growth charts, for children aged 0-23 months. When using the WHO growth charts to assess growth, use of the 2.3rd and 97.7th percentiles (2 standard deviations) are recommended, rather than the 5th and 95th percentiles. The CDC growth charts should continue to be used for the assessment of growth in persons aged 2 to 19 years.
September 8, 2010 First lady pushes for passage of Child Nutrition Act
First lady Michelle Obama on Wednesday called on Congress to pass the Child Nutrition Act, which would push forward her "Let's Move!" campaign against childhood obesity. The House is expected to put the bill on its agenda this month, and lawmakers will likely add new elements and more funding to the $4.5 billion version passed by the Senate
September 6, 2010 Lack of nighttime sleep may increase obesity risk in children.
Children age 4 and younger who slept less than 10 hours at night were 80% more likely to be overweight or obese five years later compared with those who slept longer, a U.S. study found. Researchers said that a lack of adequate nighttime sleep might be a lasting risk factor for obesity and that napping should not be a substitute for nighttime sleep.
August 2010 Health Status of Children in Hawai‘i: 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health
The National Survey of Children’s Health provides us with an excellent opportunity to explore important child health issues both nationally and in Hawai‘i. The Hawai‘i Department of Health’s Family Health Services Division is pleased to present the Health Status of Children in Hawai‘i: 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health. This report uses 2007 data and highlights 22 child health indicators representing the following:
1) physical, mental, and dental health, 2) health care access, quality, and insurance coverage, and 3) community, school, and family life/health. Hawai‘i data was examined for each indicator by age, race, gender, federal poverty level categories, and insurance type. Disparities among the specifi c population groups are highlighted for each indicator. The information presented in this report is meant to stimulate action by policy makers, planners, and the community who consistently strive to improve the health of children in Hawai‘i.
August 5, 2010 Mentorship program helps prevent obesity in adolescents
A study that paired college student mentors with mainly black urban children ages 11 to 16 helped the youngsters learn to make healthy food and lifestyle choices. The study inPediatrics showed the rate of obese and overweight children in the group dropped 5% and the one-on-one mentoring prevented some from becoming overweight for at least two years after the program ended.
July 13, 2010 Babies eat better when Mom is taught good feeding practices
Babies were more likely to eat vegetables and try new foods if their mothers were taught about responsible feeding, researchers reported. Nurses visited the first-time mothers and instructed them on timing and introducing solid foods, using repeated exposure to get infants to accept new items, and how to recognize signs of hunger and fullness. HealthDay News
July 2010 Ellen Gustafson: Obesity + Hunger = 1 global food issue
Co-creator of the philanthropic FEED bags, Ellen Gustafson says hunger and obesity are two sides of the same coin. At TEDxEast, she launches The 30 Project -- a way to change how we farm and eat in the next 30 years, and solve the global food inequalities behind both epidemics.
June 29, 2010 New Report: Hawaii Ranks Fifth Least Obese State in the Nation
Washington, D.C. June 29, 2010 - Hawaii was named the fifth least obese state in the country, according to the seventh annual F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2010 report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The state's adult obesity rate is 22.6 percent, and, in Hawaii men are more obese than women at 25 percent. Now more than two-thirds of states (38) have adult obesity rates above 25 percent.
June 29, 2010 Pediatric hypertension becomes bigger health care issue
Pediatric blood pressure is becoming a more important health care issue, driven by rising hypertension rates among overweight children that can lead to an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and other problems. Regular blood-pressure screenings can help identify children who may need dietary changes and physical activity to lose weight and reverse the bad effects of high blood pressure.
April 2010 School Foods at the Forefront of Research, Initiatives
More than one in three middle school students who regularly eat school lunches are obese or overweight. They’re also more likely to have high LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels than kids who bring lunch from home. The research suggests that efforts to provide healthier choices on school lunch menus still have a long way to go, says Elizabeth Jackson, MD, MPH, assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor.
April 2010 U.S. DHHS Awards Wellness and Prevention Grants to 44 Communities
As part of the Community Putting Prevention to Work initiative, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded grants to prevent chronic disease and promote wellness to 44 communities in 31 states across the country. The grants, totaling more than $370 million, will support public health efforts to improve nutrition, increase physical activity, reduce obesity and decrease tobacco use. Twenty-three communities will focus solely on preventing obesity. Fourteen will work on preventing tobacco use. Seven additional communities will address both public health opportunities.
March 19, 2010 Congratulations Dr. Katie Heinrich
and the UH JABSOM Office of Public Health Studies!
CONGRATULATIONS HAWAIʻI STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH!!
A historic new investment in prevention and wellness in communities across the country. Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, announced the Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative from HHS headquarters in Washington, DC. Over the next two years $370 million will be invested tobacco and obesity-prevention programs in cities, towns, rural areas, and tribal communities across America. In Hawaiʻi, two programs are funded through the Hawaiʻi Department of Health $3.4 Million: (1) Kauai will increase residents’ awareness and knowledge of healthy eating and active living through multiple media venues; increase physical activity and improve nutrition through social support, culturally appropriate education, and behavior change; increase access to and consumption of local produce including links to restaurants and grocery stores; restrict the availability of unhealthy foods in schools; promote healthy foods in grocery stores; and improve active transport and public transportation infrastructure. (2) Maui will work to prevent obesity by educating residents, increasing knowledge, and raising awareness about healthy eating and active living through multiple media venues; increasing physical activity and improving nutrition through social support, culturally appropriate education and behavior change; increasing access to and consumption of local produce; restricting the availability of unhealthy foods in schools; promoting healthy foods in grocery stores; and improving active transport and public transportation infrastructure.
March 2010 Dan Barber: How I fell in love with a fish
Chef Dan Barber squares off with a dilemma facing many chefs today: how to keep fish on the menu. With impeccable research and deadpan humor, he chronicles his pursuit of a sustainable fish he could love, and the foodie's honeymoon he's enjoyed since discovering an outrageously delicious fish raised using a revolutionary farming method in Spain.
Let's Move: Turning the Tide on Obesity
By Dr. Judith S. Palfrey, FAAP, President, American Academy of Pediatrics.
As a pediatrician, my number one goal is to keep children healthy. Yet, over the 30 years I’ve been in practice, there has been a distressing increase in the number of children and adolescents who are overweight and obese. Today, most physicians are dealing with overweight and obesity in about 30 percent of the children we treat. These staggering numbers have alarmed the pediatric community, and they should spur us as a nation into action.
Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food
Sharing powerful stories from his anti-obesity project in Huntington, W. Va., TED Prize winner Jamie Oliver makes the case for an all-out assault on our ignorance of food.
HO‘ALA project awakens need for safe routes to eliminate childhood obesity
Hawaiʻi is one of only eight locations in the U.S. to receive the “rapid response funding award” from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, through the Active Living Research Program. In Hawaiʻi, the funding creates a program called HO‘ALA—which stands for Hawaii’s Opportunity for Active Living Advancement. The word means “to waken” in the Native Hawaiian language.
For more information on these opportunities, visit the Peoples Access to Trails Hawai‘i website, email PATH, or call 808-936-4653.
Kids' electronic media use jumps to 53 hours a week
A Kaiser Family Foundation survey of children ages 8 to 18 showed they spend about 7.5 hours a day -- or more than 53 hours a week -- using media, an increase from the six hours and 19 minutes reported 10 years ago. Data showed black and Hispanic children spend almost one-third more time with electronics each day than their white counterparts.
Read more here, or read the Kaiser Family Foundation's report here.
20% of children and teens have cholesterol problems
A CDC study found that one in five teens and children in the U.S. has high cholesterol. Researchers say overweight and obese children and teens were more likely to have abnormal lipid levels compared with peers of normal weight. 1 in 5 U.S. Kids Has High Cholesterol: Obese, overweight at greatest risk for heart disease as adults, CDC report notes.
Marketing foods to children and adolescents: licensed characters and other promotions on packaged foods in the supermarket.
April 1, 2009 Healthiest Nation in One Generation
Lets face it as a nation were not nearly as healthy as we should be. But it doesnt have to be this way. With your help, we can make America the healthiest nation in one generation. Want to learn how?