According to a recent study published online in the journal Pediatrics, the odds of obesity appear more prevalent in black and Hispanic children and the risk begins before birth. But why?

The study, done by the Harvard Medical School and funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, explains disproportionately high obesity rates in minority children, pointing the finger at family and cultural customs and beliefs.

When looking into the risk factors during a child’s first five years, they found African-American and Hispanic infants more likely to be born small, gain excess weight after birth, begin eating solid foods before 4 months and to sleep less. The study also suggests that during preschool years, minority children eat more fast food, drink more sugar-sweetened beverages and are more likely to have televisions in their rooms than Caucasian children.

I immediately assumed a lot of these findings to be due to limited access to health care and poverty and education levels. Obviously, I was very surprised to read that when researchers adjusted for socioeconomic status, they found the prevalence of many risk factors to remain the same.

Head researcher Elsie Taveras says that the risk factors stem from behaviors and habits that are passed on from generation to generation, especially when it comes to the age at which mothers begin giving their babies solid food or choose to stop breastfeeding.

This makes sense. I often take many cues from my mother, and my upbringing into account when making decisions regarding my children. But, I also take into account the information I receive from my pediatrician, from articles I read and from other mothers.

So, how do we balance generational habits and new healthy information to create healthy behavior change? I guess the best way would be to begin by making it a priority to educate parents beginning during pregnancy. By not having to ask your pediatrician for advice, but to automatically receive it.

Yes, I did receive advice from the nurses and doctors at my delivery, but it was scarce. And in the whirlwind of the experience, I guarantee you that less than half of the information offered was retained.

I hope this research will reach the masses, and in turn will help current childhood obesity campaigns (like Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign) adjust their target audience (from infancy on instead of age 8 and up). It is not only the parent’s responsibility to educate themselves, but also our health care system and government’s responsibility to ensure that mother’s of all ethnic backgrounds and races be educated on the healthiest (and most realistic) practices for our children.

Tagged as: cultural customs, Elsie Taveras, Harvard, Harvard School of Medicine, health disparities, health education, junk food, Let's Move, pregnancy, prevention, racial disparities, television

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Are incentives insufficient to encourage healthy eating? A recent study by researchers at the University of Buffalo in New York seems to indicate that’s the case.

Participants in the study were given a budget to shop for their family. In cases where the price of junk food was raised, healthier options were selected as an alternative. This would make sense: there is incentive to purchase the healthier, more economical options.

Yet there was a disturbing outcome when the prices of the healthy food was lowered: the mothers ‘treated’ their family by actually purchasing more junk food with the money they were saving.

Obviously, this study is tied to the fact that the mothers were given a particular budget, and therefore could have simply been aiming to spend the entire amount. But it begs the question of barriers: are disincentives more powerful than incentives?

Tagged as: barriers, Childhood obesity, motivation

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Speaking of junk food and television commercials, I just read about a new UCLA School of Public Health study published in the American Journal of Public Health, linking childhood obesity to junk food television commercials.

According to the authors Frederick J. Zimmerman and Janice F. Bell, the findings strongly suggest that keeping children away from commercial television may help reduce childhood obesity, especially because food is the most commonly advertised product on children’s television, and almost 90 percent of children begin watching television regularly before the age of 2.

By the time children are 5 years old, they have seen an average of more than 20,000 television commercials. Most of these ads, up to 95 percent – are for junk food and according to the research, commercial television pushes children to eat a large quantity of those foods they should consume least: sugary cereals, snacks, fast food and soda pop. Now, that is something to chew on.

As a mother of two, I understand how hard it can be to keep your kids active during the cold winter months, and yes, I have been guilty of turning on the television in a bind. To avoid too much television time, we watch educational shows “on demand.” (My daughter is a big fan of Yo Gabba Gabba). But, still – we make sure she has less than an hour of “screen time” a day.

For some great ideas on how to turn off the television and keep your child healthy, happy and active, visit www.MightyTimoneers.com or request a free activity guide today.

Learn more about the work that we have done to prevent childhood obesity and keep our children healthy.

Mighty Timoneers Activity Guide

Tagged as: American Journal of Public Health, healthy kids, junk food, Nemours Health & Prevention Services, television, The Mighty Timoneers, TV ads, UCLA, Yo Gabba Gabba

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I commend the Obama administration for its recent drive to expel junk food from the nation’s schools, in hopes of reducing the number of children who become overweight during their school years. In proposed legislation, candy and sugary drinks will be banned from school and schools will be required to offer nutritious choices to students.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack delivered a speech Monday, February 8th at the National Press Club in which he insisted, according to The New York Times, that any vending machines that remain in schools be “filled with nutritious offerings to make the healthy choice the easy choice for our nation’s children.” To this, I say kudos! If children don’t have healthy choices, it is impossible to make them.

According to a 2007 Centers for Disease Control survey of public high schools,only 18 percent of high schools offered fruits or vegetables for students to purchase. But, in 77 percent of high schools, students could purchase soda pop or corn-syrup laden “fruit drinks” and in 50 percent of them, students could purchase chocolate candy. No wonder our kids are getting bigger and unhealthier by the year!

Shockingly, this move is facing opposition. This angers me. Who would be opposed to helping America’s kids eat healthier foods, help reduce childhood obesity and ultimately lower the debt of our nation’s health care system? I have read and heard the argument – “The government has no right to control what goes in my child’s belly!” That is ridiculous. To this, I say that the parents fighting to keep junk food in their child’s school are probably feeding them the same unhealthy snacks at home. AND- I disagree that the government is trying to “control” what Americans can eat. This is simply a way to offer healthy alternatives while at school. Plus, parents and students can still choose what to consume for dinner, during the summer and on the weekends.

Even the soda industry is wavering on its objections to this legislation. The companies’ bottled water and juices offered by the cola giants can now fill the soda machines. No harm to big business there.

This drive to push junk food out of our schools falls in line with first lady, Michelle Obama’s statement last month, promising to lead an initiative to reduce childhood obesity. I look forward to seeing the positive impact that programs like Mrs. Obama’s “Let’s Move” and our administration’s push to help children make healthy food choices creates.

Tagged as: CDC, junk food, Let's Move, Michelle Obama, obesity, public schools, schools, The New York Times, Tom Vilsack

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The new “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” Superbowl ads for Snickers have one thing going for it. To fully function at capacity (mentally and physically), we all need to eat. But the idea that Snickers is a great way to combat diva-like behavior due to the mental exhaustion, physical fatigue or crankiness that hunger can cause is funny, but ridiculous.
Sure, I think the idea of a man turning into diva Betty White, Aretha Franklin or Liza Minnelli due to hunger is funny, but I don’t think promoting a sugar-filled candy bar as a way to remedy it is.
The rise of obesity is rampant, and I don’t think I am going out on a limb by saying that poor food choices, like grabbing a Snickers instead of an apple has a big part in America’s big bulge. In fact, after consuming the Snickers bar, a person will probably feel worse due to the high amount of sugar and the crash that will inevitably follow.
So many Americans are uneducated about what healthy food is and how to prevent obesity, early onset diabetes and the whole array of physical ailments that come from being overweight.
I think it’s time that we start educating ourselves, and our children in how to properly prevent turning into a air-headed, crabby or demanding and overweight 60+ year-old diva.

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Sure, we have all seen calorie counters, and nutritional information at restaurants, but now, a small burger chain in Portland, Oregon is printing calories on its fast food fans’ receipts.
At Burgerville restaurants, guests can choose anything. The kind of bun they’d like, what kind of cheese, their preferred sauce. And now, because of a statewide labeling law (and the inability of providing such a customized nutritional info menu), Burgerville’s customers are receiving custom burgers with a side of carbohydrate, calorie, fat, fiber and protein intake information.

Already known for using local ingredients and sustainable business practices, is Burgerville taking a step to make Portland residents a little bit healthier? Judging by their plan for a bicycle drive-thru, I’d say yes.

Will this hurt their business when people see the gluttonous amount of calories and fat hidden in their fast food lunch, or will it simply be numbers on a piece of paper that lays hidden on the bottom of a bag full of burgers?

Blogger Cabel Sasser recently described his Burgerville experience, and seemed to appreciate the information he received. “I mean, it’s not surprising that tartar sauce is high on calories. But it was slightly surprising that Sweet Potato Fries were so much “worse” than regular fries. Sure, there is some irony that you get this receipt after you’ve paid for your meal. But I say any nutritional education is better than none at all,” writes Sasser.

I agree. Putting an exact number to the amount of calories you are about to consume may cause one to take one less bite, eat only half of their fries, or scrape off a little mayo.
While I am sure that some fast food junkies will choose to ignore the info, or drive-thru elsewhere, we can only hope that some consumers will rethink their eating habits and revamp their orders.

Image: Cabel Sasser

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Wouldn’t weight loss be easier if you were getting paid for it? Well, now you can. HealthyWage.com, which launched last October, is offering members up to $1,000 for improving their health by shedding some pounds. The company’s website states that they are, “a sponsor-funded company that rewards long-term changes in behavior that lead to improved health.” Their aim is to empower people not only to get healthy, but also to have a better understanding of their health so that they can stay healthy.

But, is this really viable? Isn’t personal incentive enough? Turns out, dieters who had a financial incentive to lose weight were nearly five times more likely to meet their goals compared with dieters who had no financial reward (from a 2008 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and available on HealthyWage.com). And HealthyWage is handing out more than just cash, each member gets a personalized wellness plan, helpful tips and gets connected to a social support network of people who have similar weight loss goals. HealthyWage is free, so users have nothing to lose (except some pounds) and a lot more than money to gain. But, what do you think? Do you think money is a good weight loss incentive and how effective do you think you’d be at keeping the weight off if you were to follow an online program?

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Just a few short years ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Haiti as part of my work with Freedom from Hunger. While there, I met with scores of women who were working their way out of poverty with the help of Credit with Education, a pioneering microfinance initiative. Although each faced extraordinary barriers, through the motivation of their love for their children and their extended families and the tireless support of one another, they were succeeding remarkably. As has been the case with most of my travels in the developing world, I was the recipient while in Haiti of unconditional hospitality and generosity. Once again, those with the least to give were the first to share the most. Now, it is my turn to give back, and I am asking you as friends and colleagues to consider joining me. The recent earthquake has devastated so many lives in Haiti. And, residing in the poorest country on earth, the people of Haiti have no resources by which to recover except those that we share with them. I am asking you to consider making a donation TODAY to Freedom from Hunger. Visit www.freedomfromhunger.org –  100% of your gift will go directly to relief efforts. I serve on the Board, and have personally met the dedicated staff of our partner organization ACLAM in Haiti who will be managing distribution of resources to relief and rebuilding. Please visit the Freedom from Hunger Website to learn more, or call me directly at 303-779-3004 ext. 3522. If you are reading this, you are a person of compassion, and I invite your generous assistance.

Tagged as: Freedom from Hunger, Haiti, Haiti relief

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Just in time for the holidays, a nice story of humanity, generosity and social media…

When Chris Strouth found out he had kidney disease, he named it Harold.

It was a goofy way to deal with a serious disease that could in fact, kill him. Strouth had dealt with his disease for close to three years, before visiting the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota where he learned that he would need a kidney transplant.

His reaction – log into Twitter.

“‘S*$* I need a kidney,” Strouth wrote, and in a short period of time, 19 people had contacted him with donation offers. The tweet, which could easily be misconstrued as a joke, was linked to Strouth’s Facebook page, where people were directed to a longer, emotional plea.

Scott Pakudaitis was one of the Strouth’s Twitter followers, and the one of nineteen donor volunteers that turned out to be a perfect match. Today, Strouth is recovering nicely from the kidney transplant , thanks to the generosity of Pakudaitis and the social media blow horn that is Twitter.

AND of course, the two of them tweeted before and after the operation.

Strouth: “In the waiting room at the hospital, I feel like I am in 7th grade just before swimming class.”

Pakudaitis: “Hey @chrisstrouth how’s my kidney doing? I hope your recovery is going as well as mine.”

Source: The City Pages

http://www.citypages.com/2009-12-09/news/chris-strouth-tweets-for-a-kidney

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