The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a report indicating that obesity rates among preschoolers decreased in 19 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands between 2008 and 2011. Analyzing weight and height information from nearly 12 million children aged 2 to 4 years who participated in CDC’s Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System, the report showed that Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, South Dakota, and the U.S. Virgin Islands saw at least a one percentage point decrease in obesity rates. According to CDC research, approximately one out of eight preschoolers in the United States is obese. “Although obesity remains epidemic, the tide has begun to turn for some kids in some states,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden. “While the changes are small, for the first time in a generation they are going in the right direction. Obesity in early childhood increases the risk of serious health problems for life.” One area…
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a study claiming that on any given day, adult consumers of alcoholic beverages imbibe approximately 16 percent of their total caloric intake from alcoholic beverages— “the same contribution to overall calories as the 16 [percent] from added sugars among U.S. children.” Samara Joy Nielsen, et al., “Calories Consumed from Alcoholic Beverages by U.S. Adults, 2007-2010,” NCHS Data Brief, November 2012. According to the study, which used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the adult population consumes on average “almost 100 calories per day from alcoholic beverages.” Divided between the sexes, however, the data reportedly showed that men drank 150 calories worth of alcoholic beverages each day whereas women consumed “a little over” 50 calories. “We’ve been focusing on sugar-sweetened beverages. This is something new,” said CDC epidemiologist and study co-author Cynthia Ogden. In particular, the study noted…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) have joined HBO, Kaiser Permanente and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation in launching a new national campaign to curb obesity rates. According to a January 13, 2012, IOM press release, “The Weight of the Nation” initiative aims to “shed light on the facts and myths of this urgent public health issue and explore how obesity is impacting our nation and health care system.” The campaign evidently features policy action kits and several media pieces, including a four-part documentary to be aired May 14 and 15, 2012, on HBO, as well as a forthcoming IOM report funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation “that will review progress made so far to implement strategies to curb obesity and recommend selected actions aimed at accelerating progress in the near future.” In particular, the IOM…
