Scientists at the University of Mainz have discovered a close correlation between over-indebtedness and obesity. The authors attribute this to the high cost of a healthy diet, lack of awareness of the availability of cheaper but nonetheless wholesome foods, but most particularly to the psychological and social stress experienced by over-indebted individuals. The result of this stress is that they tend to “comfort eat” and become less physically active.
The U.S. Food Stamp Program may help contribute to obesity among its users, according to a new nationwide study that followed participants for 14 years. Researchers found that the average user of food stamps had a Body Mass Index (BMI) 1.15 points higher than non-users. The link between food stamps and higher weight was almost entirely based on women users, who averaged 1.24 points higher BMI than those not in the program, the study found.
Read more. This study was discussed on fooducate.com.
Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition at Nationwide Children’s Hospital developed Snackwise®. It’s a research-based snack rating system that calculates Nutrient Density in snack foods. Snackwise® is designed for use by any organization or individual interested in making healthier snack choices. It based on the content of 10 nutrients + energy.
Visit snackwise.org. A list of healthy snacks on the US market.
The “Smart Choices” front of package food labeling scheme officially launches this week. 500 Packaged foods from ConAgra, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Kraft, PepsiCo, Sun-Maid, Tyson and Unilever are already approved. On fooducator.com you can find arguments why this kind of food labelling is far form being the best food labelling.
574 respondents who reported the distance to their closest park and compared this with objective measurements of proximity to the closest park. Poor levels of correspondence were observed between self-reported and objective proximity to parks, but certain individual, neighborhood, and park variables increased the likelihood of a participant being aware of local parks.
The combination of accelerometers and time activity diaries provides insight into age and gender related differences in PA. This information is warranted to efficiently guide and evaluate PA promotion.
Among 1535 pregnant women participating in a survey, 85% reported an intrapersonal barrier to physical activity, of which almost two-thirds were health related. Only 2% of the women reported their main barrier to physical activity as interpersonal and 3% reported a neighborhood or environmental barrier.
Since pregnancy may trigger the development of obesity and since physical activity is recommended for healthy pregnant women, it is imperative to promote physical activity in a more relevant way.
Doing something is better than doing nothing, and doing more is better than doing less, at least up to a point. We need numerous changes to promote more physical activity for all, including public policies, changes in the health care system, promoting activity in educational settings and worksites, and social and physical environmental changes. We need more communities where people feel comfortable walking.
For children, it may take several repetitions (10 or more) to have a child try a new food, but parents should retreat gracefully and try again another day rather than get into a battle of wills when the child refuses a food”.
Parents can increase the odds of getting a child to try a new food by having the child see them enjoying the food and having the child help prepare the unfamiliar food. “If the child is in the kitchen cooking with Mom or Dad, it’s unlikely that he/she will refuse the food that they’ve helped prepare.”
In a 2006 study, Columbia University Medical Center researchers showed that elderly New Yorkers whose eating habits most resemble the Mediterranean diet have about a 40% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease than do those with poor diets.