Posts tagged obesity prevention

Unique Obesity Prevention Program Benefits Weight, Motor Skills in Mexican-American Preschoolers

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7 months ago
by admin in ,

MiranosA new culturally tailored, multi-component obesity prevention program among minority preschool children can help create an environment that positively impacts weight and gross motor skill development in children at risk for obesity, according to a new study in the journal Childhood Obesity.

For the program, called Míranos!, researchers from UT San Antonio and the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio tested whether it is possible to indoctrinate students with healthy behaviors — for life — via several positive interactions with their parents, teachers and school workers and a supportive learning environment at school and home.

Researchers tested the program among predominantly Mexican-American kids enrolled in Head Start in San Antonio, Texas.

Favorable changes occurred in weight scores, gross motor skill development, outdoor physical activity and eating healthy food among the children who participated in Míranos!.

“Míranos! is a unique example of using a systems approach to create change at multiple levels and synergize multiple components to promote changes in preschool children’s physical activity and dietary behaviors,” the researchers concluded.

Learn more here.

Infographic: Obesity, Complex but Conquerable

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1 year ago
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Check out this stunning infographic from the new report on obesity prevention from the Institute of Medicine (IOM):

Report: Obesity Fight Must Shift from Personal Blame

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1 year ago
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IOM Report on Obesity Prevention

America’s obesity epidemic is so deeply rooted that it will take dramatic and systemic measures—from overhauling farm policies and zoning laws to, possibly, introducing a soda tax—to fix it, according to a new report released May 8, 2012, by the influential Institute of Medicine (IOM), Reuters reports.

The 478-page report, according to Reuters, refutes the idea that obesity is largely the result of a lack of willpower on the part of individuals:

Instead, it embraces policy proposals that have met with stiff resistance from the food industry and lawmakers, arguing that multiple strategies will be needed to make the U.S. environment less “obesogenic.”

The IOM, part of the National Academies, offers advice to the government and others on health issues. Its report was released at the Weight of the Nation conference, a three-day meeting hosted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cable channel HBO will air a documentary of the same name next week.

“People have heard the advice to eat less and move more for years, and during that time a large number of Americans have become obese,” committee member Shiriki Kumanyika of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine told Reuters. “That advice will never be out of date. But when you see the increase in obesity you ask, what changed? And the answer is, the environment. The average person cannot maintain a healthy weight in this obesity-promoting environment.”

Earlier this week, a CDC-funded study projected that by 2030, 42% of American adults will be obese, compared to 34% today.

The staggering human toll of obesity-related chronic disease and disability, and an annual cost of $190.2 billion for treating obesity-related illness, underscore the need to strengthen prevention efforts.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation asked the IOM to identify catalysts that could speed progress in obesity prevention. The IOM evaluated prior obesity prevention strategies and identified recommendations to meet the following goals and accelerate progress:

  • Integrate physical activity every day in every way
  • Make healthy foods available everywhere
  • Marketing what matters for a healthy life
  • Activating employers and health care professionals
  • Strengthening schools as the heart of health

Read the full report. To get involved, go here.

 

Tackling Latino Child Obesity in the Kitchen, Church & Community

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1 year ago
by admin in , ,

enewsletterHow can…

  • After-school programs impact Latino kids’ fitness? (Pg 1)
  • Churches serve as sites for Latino child obesity prevention? (Pg 4)
  • Getting kids in the kitchen improve Latino nutrition? (Pgs 3 and 5)

Find the answers and more in the latest Salud America! E-newsletter.

Also find out the latest in Latino childhood obesity policy, news and updates on Salud America!, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) network to prevent obesity among Latino kids.

The network is directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, which developed SaludToday.

To sign up to receive Salud America! E-newsletters, go here.

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