Posts in December 2011

 

Local grocer to receive city's first fresh-food loan

Food Environment Research ,  Special Interest Projects (SIPs)

Published: December 22, 2011

By Jaquetta White, The Times-Picayune A Central City grocery store is the first to receive a loan through an initiative that seeks to provide residents with greater access to healthful food choices in New Orleans, Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration announced Wednesday. DaFresh Seafood and Produce Store, which will be located at the corner of Baronne Street and Jackson Avenue, has been awarded $117,000 by the New Orleans Fresh Food Retailer Initiative, which in partnership with…

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City of L.A. releases interactive bike lane map

Physical Activity Research ,  Special Interest Projects (SIPs)

Published: December 22, 2011

The city of L.A.‘s transportation department released an interactive online map of bike lanes and routes this week, the first of its kind from the agency.

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Nutrition and fitness resolutions for 2012

Core Research

Published: December 20, 2011

Jan. 1 is still a few days away, but it’s not too early to start thinking about ways to make 2012 your most healthful year yet. I touched base with some of the folks I interviewed for this column during 2011 to ask them about their plans for the coming year. Here are some of their resolutions for eating, drinking and being healthful through the holiday season and beyond. Read full article >>

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New Texas study looks at why athletic obese can't work off the weight

Food Environment Research

Published: December 19, 2011

New Texas study looks at why athletic obese can’t work off the weight KENS 5 TV According to some estimates, one-third of the US population is clinically obese. And, at any given time, up to 35 percent are trying to lose weight. No matter how hard many of them try, they just can seem to exercise the weight off. Why not? … and more »

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Youth farms keep New Orleans teens in school gardens

Food Environment Research ,  Special Interest Projects (SIPs)

Published: December 19, 2011

by Tracie McMillan, Grist Magazine Smack in the middle of a half-dozen shipping containers and striding up a mound of gravel, Johanna Gilligan, 31, can’t contain her excitement. “This looks so awesome!” She nods her head at an alcove between two containers, painted the pale color of new celery, with dry sinks attached. “That’s going to be for processing.” Gilligan, co-director of New Orleans’ Grow Dat Youth Farm, traipses up the mound, which terminates at…

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Winn-Dixie is being sold to Bi-Lo LLC

Food Environment Research

Published: December 19, 2011

By The Associated Press The supermarket chain Winn-Dixie is being sold for $560 million to Bi-Lo LLC, the companies said Monday, creating a large grocery operator in the South. The combined company will have about 690 stores and 63,000 workers in eight states in the southern U.S. Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. will become a privately held subsidiary and its ticker will be removed from the Nasdaq. Each Winn-Dixie stockholder gets $9.50 per share in cash, a…

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At California hospital, mixed signals on eating and health

Food Environment Research

Published: December 16, 2011

By KATHARINE MIESZKOWSKI, The New York Times The home page of the Web site for Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland warns about childhood obesity, advising that "a healthy weight starts with healthy eating" and inviting families to adopt a "seven-day healthy lunch plan." But during lunchtime on Tuesday, the hospital's own Friendly Cafe promoted the "M&M Cookie" for $1.99 as the day's "featured treat." This is hardly the only children's hospital in California sending…

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New Orleans becomes first Louisiana city with 'complete streets'

Physical Activity Research ,  Special Interest Projects (SIPs)

Published: December 16, 2011

The New Orleans City Council unanimously agreed to create an internal policy that will result in local roads becoming safer for all travelers. The so-called “complete streets” law requires all new roads and some repairs to consider all forms of transportation when designing and constructing the route. That means allowing cyclists, walkers, and public transit riders to use the street. Click here to watch public speakers and the council’s vote. Jump to Agenda Item 35…

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NYC tops in child obesity improvement

Food Environment Research ,  Physical Activity Research ,  Special Interest Projects (SIPs)

Published: December 15, 2011

ATLANTA, Dec. 16 (UPI) — Overall obesity rates among New York City public elementary and middle school students dropped during the past five years, federal health officials say.

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As government shutdown looms, lawmakers squabbling over policy, not pork

Special Interest Projects (SIPs)

Published: December 15, 2011

In Congresses of yesteryear, the 11th-hour, must-pass omnibus spending bill typically set off a spike in earmarks or member projects to grease the deal, adding billions to federal deficits.

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Harvard researchers study link between exercise and brain function

Physical Activity Research

Published: December 15, 2011

Can physical activity keep the brains and bodies of police officers in top-notch form? To get the answer, two researchers from Harvard Medical School are working with members of the Fitness and Lifestyle section of the RCMP “F” Division to study how physical activity affects brain function â€" cognitively and emotionally.

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Seattle school board may ease ban on junk food

Food Environment Research ,  Special Interest Projects (SIPs)

Published: December 15, 2011

Years after a ban on unhealthful food in Seattle high schools, students are now ignoring campus vending machines – crippling student governments that once depended on profits from the sales. The Seattle School Board is likely to relax its policy next year. For the full story, click here.

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How the Food Industry Can Solve Our Childhood Obesity Crisis - The Atlantic

Food Environment Research

Published: December 13, 2011

How the Food Industry Can Solve Our Childhood Obesity Crisis The Atlantic I admit to being skeptical that this convocation would be any different from previous non-profit events on obesity, which have typically chastised the food industry as the cause of and continuing nemesis to solving the nation’s childhood obesity crisis …

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States Hungry for Revenue Leave Billions in U.S. Food Assistance on Table

Food Environment Research ,  Special Interest Projects (SIPs)

Published: December 08, 2011

California and Colorado are among cash-strapped states leaving billions of dollars on the table in federal food aid that could fuel growth by stimulating spending throughout the country.

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What really works to prevent obesity in kids? - Boston.com

Food Environment Research ,  Physical Activity Research ,  Special Interest Projects (SIPs)

Published: December 08, 2011

What really works to prevent obesity in kids? Boston.com In the long drawn out battle to fight the childhood obesity epidemic, public health advocates, schools, parents — heck, even the first lady — have been trying a variety of strategies to see what, if anything, really works …

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Farm Bill Reform Could Trim Americans' Waistlines - Huffington Post

Food Environment Research ,  Special Interest Projects (SIPs)

Published: December 07, 2011

Farm Bill Reform Could Trim Americans’ Waistlines Huffington Post Epidemics of obesity and hunger cause widespread suffering and debt in the US Obesity rates in adults have doubled over the last few decades, with two thirds of Americans now obese or overweight. In children, the rate has gone up more than three-fold. … What’s Wrong With the Farm Bill?The Atlantic all 2 news articles »

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U.S. school kids often miss out on recess, study finds

Physical Activity Research

Published: December 06, 2011

Title: U.S. School Kids Often Miss Out on Recess, Study Finds Category: Health News Created: 12/5/2011 6:06:00 PM Last Editorial Review: 12/6/2011

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Coca-Cola to expand stevia offering in EU; no plans to drop aspartame

Food Environment Research

Published: December 06, 2011

Coca-Cola said it has no reason to drop the artificial sweetener aspartame from its low or zero calorie beverage brands in the European market as it welcomes last week's approval by the European Commission for the use of the natural sweetener stevia in drinks and foodstuffs. For the full story, click here.

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Most doctors don't tell parents kids are overweight

Special Interest Projects (SIPs)

Published: December 06, 2011

Less than one-quarter of American parents with an overweight child remember ever being told by a health care professional that this was the case, a new study says. “Parents might be more motivated to follow healthy eating and activity advice if they knew their children were overweight, but very few parents of overweight children say they have ever heard that from their doctor,” lead author Dr. Eliana Perrin, an associate professor in the University of…

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Healthier school meals are crucial for kids: A letter

Food Environment Research ,  Special Interest Projects (SIPs)

Published: December 05, 2011

By Kate Lolley and Naomi King, Tulane Prevention Research Center (PRC) Re: “Congress likes pizza for school lunch,” Page A8, Nov. 16. Congress blocking changes to school-food nutrition standards last month is a huge disappointment, as it continues the practice of feeding pizza and french fries to children under the guise of vegetables. Targeting school cafeterias for curbing obesity is crucial because school-age children consume at least half of their daily calories there. And in…

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