Obesity
5 Action Items for Continuing the Childhood Obesity Fight
August 2013Rates of childhood obesity showed the first signs of a small decline in 19 of 43 sites studied by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite this encouraging news, nearly 1 in 6 (17%) children and teens are obese, including 1 in 8 (12%) preschoolers. “We cannot become complacent,” says David L. Katz, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Childhood Obesity, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, and Director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center (Derby, CT). Read more.
Research: Consumers Want Menu Labeling
June 1, 2013
As the Food and Drug Administration works to finalize national menu labeling regulations, a new research review from Healthy Eating Research shows most consumers want menu labeling at the point of purchase in restaurants and cafeterias.Other findings from the review of nearly 50 studies published between 2008 and 2012 show:
- Customers notice menu labels at the point of purchase, and those labels increase their awareness of nutritional information.
- The impact of menu labeling may be greater among women and on higher-calorie items.
The Business Of Obesity, What It Costs UsIn the U.S. today, 78 million adults are considered “obese” – more than the populations of California, Texas and New York combined. This is twice as many adults in 2013 as there were obese in 1980, and today 112,000+ deaths a year in the U.S. are associated with obesity. Read more.
Food and Beverage Marketing to Children and AdolescentsThis research review summarizes the academic and industry literature on trends in food marketing to children and adolescents, as well as policy initiatives undertaken to address the contribution of marketing practices to the childhood obesity epidemic, from March 2011 to May 2012.
This review finds that self-regulation by the food and beverage industry is not likely to reduce marketing of unhealthy foods to children and adolescents significantly.
The review also finds that the food and beverage industry can exert significant influence on government efforts to reduce the marketing of unhealthy foods to children and adolescents. Read more.
Health and Healthy Schools CampaignThe Trust for America’s Health and the Healthy Schools Campaign have released Health In Mind, which details immediate solutions that can help close the achievement gap and create a healthy future for all children. A copy of the news release is also available. The project was supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2012The number of obese adults, along with related disease rates and health care costs, are on course to increase dramatically in every state in the country over the next 20 years, according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2012, a report released by Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Read more.
Food Insecurity and Obesity: Understanding the ConnectionsWhile all segments of the population are affected, food insecure and low-income people are especially vulnerable to obesity due to the additional risk factors associated with poverty. Read the report.
Childhood Obesity FactsChildhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years. The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2010. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period. Read more. View the maps.
