Tag Archives: Obesity

A few fun links

Posted on January 26, 2011 | Leave a comment

Kate Adamick – Empowering and educating kitchen staff across the country. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Kate and she is fantastic!

The Daily Meal - The 50 most influential people in food.

Science Daily – Brand loyalty starts early.

Science Daily - Higher indoor temps associated with obesity.

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Research Update – Healthy food and academic performance

Posted on January 22, 2011 | Leave a comment

An April 2010 article in the American Journal of Public Health examined the relationship between a school-based obesity prevention program and academic performance. The study evaluated the effects of the HOPS program on 1,197 students who qualified for free and reduced lunch. HOPS (Healthier Options for Public Schoolchildren) included a dietary component that provided students with healthier school food options. Physical activity was also a part of the intervention.

Results indicated that students participating in HOPS performed better on math tests than students in the control group. Although this difference cannot be attributed directly to the HOPS program, these results add to the growing bulk of evidence that connects healthy eating to physical and mental performance.

 

Source: Hollar, et al. (2010). Effect of a two year obesity prevention intervention on percentile changes in body mass index and academic performance in low-income elementary school children. The American Journal of Public Health, 100(4), 646-653.

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Interesting Wednesday Tidbits

Posted on January 19, 2011 | Leave a comment
  • The Political Economy Research Institute released a case study of transportation infrastructure development in Baltimore. Their finding? Pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure projects create 4 to 5  more jobs per $1 million spent than road projects. Another reason to invest in bikes and active transport!
  • A study by the Society of Actuaries published new figures estimating the cost of obesity and overweight. Their number: $300 BILLION.
  • Marion Nestle has written a couple of great articles recently. See this Atlantic piece for a summary on the new school food nutritional standards and her blog post about front-of-package labeling and the dietary quality of supposedly ‘healthier’ kids products.

Also – on a side note: As I progress in planning the School Food Tour I find that I am acquiring exciting new skills that I did not anticipate learning. Such as how to create a website. Cool!

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Late December News Tidbits

Posted on December 28, 2010 | Leave a comment
  • Cycling rates are on the upswing! An encouraging article at Governing.com about the rise in bicycles’ popularity. The author points out the need to view bikes as a means of active transportation and not simply a form of recreation (though they are fabulously fun to ride too – bonus!).
  • Childhood obesity prevention in the Southeast – A new campaign aims to “prevent childhood obesity in low-income communities across the southeast”.  This program will focus on promoting healthy eating and physical activity in schools and communities. It will use “students as mentors” and encourage youth to share what they learned at school with their family. The southeast is in great need of more programs such as this – I am excited to bring the School Food Tour to this region.
  • Recipes for Healthy Kids contest – Entries to this USDA competition are due on December 30. Supported by Mrs. Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, this program is designed to “introduce exciting new recipes into the National School Lunch Program”. Each category’s top scoring recipes will be published in a cookbook for students and families.

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