This year, public health stakeholders have launched three key communication pieces to refocus the problem of obesity. Although these pieces are standalone efforts, they show how powerful coordinated efforts between researchers, local public health professionals and the American public can be. Together, these three pieces can give stakeholders at multiple levels concrete actions they can take to combat the problem of obesity.
Health Care Topic: Childhood Obesity
Topics: Childhood Obesity, Community Health, Health Reform
Jun 21, 2012
Warm summer days and evenings draw many people outside to enjoy the weather and the extended daylight. As families take advantage of the pleasant conditions to take walks on local trails, ride bicycles on pathways and streets, and play in parks, it’s important to remember that these leisurely activities are facilitated by the presence of active transportation supports in our communities: safe and attractive sidewalks, bicycle paths, multi-use paths, parks and other recreational areas.
Topics: Childhood Obesity, Obesity, Public Health
May 3, 2012
With the rapidly changing economic trends within the United States, participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has ballooned recently. As of April 2, 2012, the total number of individuals participating in SNAP in the United States was 46,449,850. SNAP is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s largest food and nutrition assistance program and the cornerstone of the nation’s programs for reducing food insecurity and hunger.
Topics: Childhood Obesity, Chronic Disease, Obesity
Apr 12, 2012
It’s been in the news and at the forefront of public health policy debates—childhood obesity has tripled in the past 30 years and now represents one of the leading public health threats for our nation. (1) According to the National Center for Health Statistics, more than one-third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. (2) These numbers are alarming because obesity is associated with a number of significant health consequences, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers, as well as psychosocial and emotional consequences.
Topics: Childhood Obesity, Health Policy, Women & Children
Mar 13, 2012
The Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) provides federal grants to states for supplemental foods, health care referrals and nutrition education for low-income, pregnant and postpartum women, infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional-risk. Based on recommendations from the Institute of Medicine, the foods available to participants in the WIC program underwent a significant overhaul in 2009 to better align nutrient intake among WIC participants with the latest dietary guidelines.
Topics: Childhood Obesity, Chronic Disease, Obesity
Feb 28, 2012
Obesity is a rapidly growing concern in the United States—no pun intended. In 2010, about one-third (33.8 percent) of adults in the U.S., and approximately 17 percent of children and adolescents were considered obese. The government estimates that 30 percent of the Medicare population is obese.
Topics: Childhood Obesity, Women & Children
Feb 23, 2012
With the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, the United States Department of Agriculture will be revising the nutrition guidelines for the Child and Adult Care Food Program for the first time in decades. This represents an important time to align the program with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and to address the epidemic of childhood obesity that has developed over the past several decades. CACFP is a federal nutrition assistance program administered by the Food and Nutrition Service of the USDA.
Topics: Childhood Obesity, Women & Children
Jan 23, 2012
“It's the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance. It's the dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance. It's the one who won't be taken, who cannot seem to give, and the soul afraid of dyin' that never learns to live.” -Amanda McBroom, The Rose
