The Institute of Medicine (IOM) and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) have selected seven health professionals to spend a year working in the executive branch or a congressional office with key responsibilities for health legislation and programs as RWJF Health Policy Fellows for 2008-2009.
Archive for category Nutrition and obesity
Nutritional labelling may mean more to consumers than portion sizes, according to a joint study from Norway and the US. Information about portion size may not be a good tool to manipulate food-intake behavior. Consumers’ concept of portion size is associated more with objective measures of food than with personal experience about the amount that would be appropriate to eat. See also http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Portion-size-may-not-be-a-good-way-to-curb-obesity-Study?nocount
The US Whole Grains Council hold their 4th conference on whole grains on April 20-22, 2009, in Alexandria, VA, just a stone’s throw from Washington, D.C. Find the invitation and program here.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will award 10 grants of up to 250.000 US$ for policy advocacy to improve food and recreation environments in communities at high risk for obesity.
The Nuffield Council on Bioethics set up an expert working party to examine the ethical issues surrounding public health in January 2006. The idea of a ‘nanny state’ is often rejected, but the state has a duty to look after the health of everyone, and sometimes that means guiding or restricting people’s choices. On the other hand, the state must consider a number of principles when designing public health programmes, and justification is required if any of these principles are to be infringed.
Designing for Better Health
Jan 28
Changemakers.net is organizing an online, open source competition as a global search for individuals and institutions who help people make better decisions regarding their health and the health of others. Designing settings and scenarios in which people make healthy choices requires presenting those choices in a way that takes the all-too-human side of decision making into account. People need (and want) choices, but they also need (and want) help’”a nudge’”when they’re not sure what to do.
The UK retailer Asda organized a petition and a caimpaign called “VAT’s not fair!”
Family-based lifestyle interventions that not only modify diet and physical activity but also include behaviour therapy programs can help obese children lose weight and maintain that loss for at least six months. This Cochrane Review also found that in adolescents the effect lasts for at least 12 months. Adding weight controlling drugs orlistat or sibutramine to behaviour change programs for adolescents may provide additional benefits.
The UK Food Standards Agency wants to see more consistent nutrition information for consumers at the point they make a decision about what they eat out of home and announced that the first step will be the introduction of calorie labelling.
Cutting calories may improve memory among healthy elderly men and women, a new study from Germany hints. In the study, researchers found that people who cut their calorie intake by approximately 30 percent performed better on standard memory tests after just three months.