The 9th Annual Scientific Meeting of The American Academy of Health Behavior will be on March 8-11, 2009 at Hilton Head in South Carolina. The topic is: Adoption, Adherence, and Maintenance of Health Behavior Change.
Archive for category Policy
Researchers from National Center for Environmental Health at CDC in the US found that working across sectors to incorporate a health promotion approach in the design and development of built environment components may mitigate climate change, promote adaptation, and improve public health.
The author of “Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating” and “How to Cook Everything”, Mark Bittman makes a compelling argument for cutting back on animal products including red meat, dairy, eggs, poultry and fish as a reaction against factory farming. Lose weight while saving the planet?
Cancer is far more easily prevented than cured. Winning the war on cancer will require a much larger investment in prevention to complement efforts to improve treatment. Progress can be made in cancer prevention, but will require a greater emphasis on public health programs and public policy.
Some of the interesting questions to be discussed include: Where does evidence fit in to public policy decision-making? How do policy-makers gather, use and evaluate evidence in decision-making? What challenges do policy-makers face in finding and using evidence? What types of evidence are most useful to policy-makers?
This review “The Scientific Basis for Law as a Public Health Tool” was published in November 2008. The researchers from CDC identified 65 systematic reviews of studies on the effectiveness of 52 public health laws: 27 of those laws were found effective, 23 had insufficient evidence to judge effectiveness, 1 was harmful, and 1 was found to be ineffective. This is a valuable, scientific foundation’”that uses the highest relevant standard of evidence’”for the role of law as a public health tool.
University of Illinois receives $16 million US$ to study impact of environment on kids’ health
Dec 16
The ImpacTeen project got the grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study policy and environmental factors that influence youth behaviors related to nutrition, physical activity, obesity and tobacco use. In some communities, researchers will look at what opportunities are available to kids for physical activity — such as walking/biking paths, bike racks, parks, sidewalks, recreation facilities and dance studios — and what characteristics of the built environment may promote or serve as barriers to activity among kids. The availability — or lack of availability — of healthy food options in communities will also be identified. Policy makers at all levels — at the federal level, state level, local level, in schools and other organizations — will be involved in this effort.
The best article yet on food and climate change was published in The New York Times yesterday. Dr. Rajendra Pachauri from United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says people should eat less meat to control their carbon footprints. ‘We haven’t come to grips with agricultural emissions’. See also Can People Have Meat and a Planet, Too? by Andrew C. Revkin on http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/11/can-people-have-meat-and-a-planet-too/
Lauren Dinour, Liza Fuentes and Nicholas Freudenberg from City University of New York prepared this fantastic report for policy makers, advocates, and health professionals. Its goal is to educate and spark debate on food policy choices.
They wrote:
One way the food industry protects its prerogatives is to make arguments that discourage public action. For example, industry trade groups argue that “individuals are responsible for what they eat and it’s unfair to expect the food industry to deprive people of what they want” that “in a free market, it’s better for industry to regulate itself than for government to impose rules” and “that no food by itself causes obesity. If we eat responsibly, there’s no reason to change our diet”.
To change the status quo, advocates of healthier food policies must challenge common arguments against action and encourage a public dialogue on health, individual and corporate responsibility, and the appropriate role for government.
The report proposes some actions for New York City to consider:
Create local healthy food zones
Healthy food zones in schools, churches, health centers, and other neighborhood institutions would not sell, advertise, or promote unhealthy products. Use zoning laws to reduce density of unhealthy food outlets.
Healthy food zones in schools, churches, health centers, and other neighborhood institutions would not sell, advertise, or promote unhealthy products. Use zoning laws to reduce density of unhealthy food outlets.
Strengthen oversight of deceptive health claims in food advertising
Many food companies seek to sell their products based on health or weight loss claims, even when the scientific foundation for such claims does not exist. To improve health, it is important to stop unhealthy and misleading messages. Local, state, and federal government can play a role in protecting the public against such messages.
Many food companies seek to sell their products based on health or weight loss claims, even when the scientific foundation for such claims does not exist. To improve health, it is important to stop unhealthy and misleading messages. Local, state, and federal government can play a role in protecting the public against such messages.
Discourage racial/ethnic targeting of unhealthy food advertisements
Racially and ethnically targeted food industry practices contribute to the inequities in heath and obesity among Blacks, Latinos, and Whites and set back efforts to achieve national health goals of reducing health disparities.
Racially and ethnically targeted food industry practices contribute to the inequities in heath and obesity among Blacks, Latinos, and Whites and set back efforts to achieve national health goals of reducing health disparities.
Tax unhealthy food such as sweetened soda and other beverages
Taxes have been shown to reduce use of unhealthy products and save taxpayer dollars. Revenues should be used to subsidize healthy food.
Taxes have been shown to reduce use of unhealthy products and save taxpayer dollars. Revenues should be used to subsidize healthy food.
Support counter-advertising campaigns against unhealthy foods
State and local health departments should fund counter-advertising campaigns that encourage people to resist manipulation by the food industry.
State and local health departments should fund counter-advertising campaigns that encourage people to resist manipulation by the food industry.
Restrict advertising and promotion of unhealthy food
Several European countries have shown that it is possible to reduce children’s exposure to food advertising.
Several European countries have shown that it is possible to reduce children’s exposure to food advertising.
Enjoy the report:
Dinour L, Fuentes L, Freudenberg N. Reversing Obesity in New York City: An Action Plan for Reducing the Promotion and Accessibility of Unhealthy Food, CUNY Campaign Against Diabetes and Public Health Association of New York City, October 2008.
Dinour L, Fuentes L, Freudenberg N. Reversing Obesity in New York City: An Action Plan for Reducing the Promotion and Accessibility of Unhealthy Food, CUNY Campaign Against Diabetes and Public Health Association of New York City, October 2008.
Soon, your cell phone may be able to help you maintain your exercise routine and keep the pounds off over winter months, without your having to lift a finger to keep track. Researchers at the University of Washington and Intel have created two new cell phone applications, dubbed UbiFit and UbiGreen, to automatically track workouts and green transportation. The programs display motivational pictures on the phone’s background screen that change the more the user works out or uses eco-friendly means of transportation.