Posts Tagged "Statistics"
CATCH As CATCH Can
by Christine Sinatra, LiveMom.com I got to field one of my favorite questions from a reporter: “How do you know what you’re proposing actually works?” The topic was one of those issues that always sounds so big and intractable to journalists: childhood obesity.In terms of magnitude, the coverage has been spot on. Here’s a health issue that attacks every system in the body-something tied to all of our scariest diseases, from diabetes to cancer to heart disease. And we have seen it explode in our lifetimes. In 1991, only one state had an obesity rate above 20%. Today, only one state doesn’t have a rate that high. Concerned...
Read MoreIllinois Ranks High for Child Obesity
by Gabrielle M. Blue ILLINOIS – (May 13, 2010) – The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity reported the stark fact on Tuesday that one in five American children is overweight. Prompted by First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative, the task force released a 124-page report, including 70 recommendations to officials in government and the private sector that would help lower the nation’s childhood obesity rate. In Illinois, roughly one in three children is overweight or obese, which ranks 10th-highest for youth ages 10-17 in the country, according to the advocacy organization Trust for America’s Health. “It’s a multi-faceted and...
Read MoreCommunity Involvement Important in Fight Against Childhood Obesity, According to UTHealth Researchers
HOUSTON – (March 2, 2010) – Community support of school obesity prevention programs is critical to achieving a significant decrease in obesity among children, according to researchers at the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living, which is part of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). Deanna Hoelscher, Ph.D., professor of behavioral sciences at UTHealth’s School of Public Health Austin Regional Campus, examined obesity prevalence changes among children in Travis County after the implementation of a school-based obesity intervention program, the Coordinated Approach To Child Health (CATCH). Hoelscher,...
Read MoreEl Paso Takes Lead in Reducing Obesity Among 4th Graders
Victor R. Martinez, El Paso Times, Texas EL PASO – (March 28, 2010) – When first lady Michelle Obama launched her “Let’s Move” initiative to fight childhood obesity in February, many students in El Paso were already ahead of the curve, and it wasn’t around the belly. The first lady’s nationwide campaign calls for a number of initiatives that target what she calls four key pillars — getting parents more informed about nutrition and exercise, improving the quality of food in schools, making healthful foods more affordable and accessible for families, and focusing more on physical education. Researchers at the Michael and Susan Dell...
Read MoreIn the Battle Against Childhood Obesity, Review Effectiveness Before Implementing Policies
Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey – March 10, 2010. In a study conducted by Cornell Economist John Cawley, Cawley states that before developing specific anti-obesity strategies, lawmakers and advocates should review the evidence on program effectiveness and costs in order to avoid policies that either won’t work or will waste money. Cawley’s article appeared in “The Economics of Childhood Obesity,” published in the peer-reviewed journal Health Affairs, March 2, 2010. Cawley, associate professor of policy analysis and management, argues that government spending should focus on programs that offer “the biggest bang for the buck.” In his...
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