Study Finds 42% of India's Children Under 5 Are Malnourished
1/11/2012 2:32:32 PM
Photo by Neil Palmer of CIAT International Center for Tropical AgricultureA recent survey by the Naandi Foundation found that 42% of all Indian children younger than five are underweight, defined as having low weight for their age. Another 59% were found to be stunted, defined as having low height for age. The study surveyed 109,093 children in 3,360 villages in 9 states. The report also notes that 58% of mothers do not exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months, which is important for preventing childhood malnutrition. Key factors in child malnutrition were family socioeconomic status and the educational status of mothers.
With recent droughts leading to famine in East Africa, child hunger is increasingly gaining international attention. Doctors Without Borders/Médicins Sans Frontières estimates that 146 million children under the age of five are underweight, with sixty million children considered wasted, meaning below the normal weight for height. Most of these children live in the Sahel, South Asia and the Horn of Africa. UNICEF notes that malnutrition is implicated in 40% of all child deaths under the age of five in developing countries. In addition to deaths from starvation, malnutrition can stunt children's growth, reduce their immunity, and damage intellectual achievement. In 2010, MSF launched the Starved for Attention campaign to draw attention to the issue of widespread child malnutrition and the importance of providing malnourished children with nutritionally adequate foods. According to MSF most food aid provided to malnourished people in crises is a corn-soy blend that does not adequately meet the nutritional needs of growing children.
Tags: Children, Early Childhood, Healthy Eating, Poverty
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Three Recent Studies on Eating Disorders Show New Trends and Concerns
6/22/2011 8:46:49 AM
Three recent studies on eating disorders show new trends in prevalence of eating disorders internationally and new comorbidities of eating disorders in the United States.
A study from Taiwan published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing found that 16% of boys and 10% of girls ages 10 to 18 had vomited in order to lose weight. Younger children were more likely to report inducing vomiting to lose weight, as 16% of 10 to 12 years olds vomited to lose weight compared to 15% of 13 to 15 year olds and 8% of 16-18 year olds. Self-induced vomiting was more common in adolescents with a sedentary lifestyle, who slept less and who ate unhealthily. Using a computer screen for more than two hours a day, eating fried food everyday and having nighttime snacks increased the odds of vomiting.
Another recent study from the University of North Texas found that pressure from peers to be thin accounts for a significant amount of lost sleep for white female adolescents. Author Katherine Marczyk said “There is a significant amount of research on other areas regarding pressure on adolescent females to minimize body weight, but this pressure as it relates to sleep health is a less-explored topic and its consequences are mostly unknown.”
The Journal of Women’s Health published a study this month on the relationship between pregnancy related depression and eating disorders. A survey of women receiving treatment in a perinatal psychology clinic found that one third of patients reported a history of eating disorders. Postpartum depression has serious consequences for both mothers and their children. Author Dr. Samantha Meltzer-Brody stated “Children of depressed mothers are more likely to develop mental health problems, and children of mothers with an active eating disorder may also be more likely to develop an eating disorder themselves.” The authors also note that pregnancy is a key time for mental health screenings and for helping women get access to mental health treatment services.
Dr. Lucene Wisniewski of the Cleveland Center for Eating Disorders recently gave a talk on current best practices for girls with eating disorders as a part of the Schubert Center’s Girlhood Series. A policy brief on her talk can be downloaded here. Schubert Center Faculty Associate Dr. Eileen Anderson-Fye joined discussants from the Cleveland Clinic and the University School to talk about her work studying eating disorders in adolescent girls in Belize.
To read the study from Taiwan, click here. A press article on the study is also available here.
To read an article on the study on eating disorders and sleep loss, click here.
To read the article on pregnancy-related depression and eating disorders, click here. A popular article on the study can be found here.
Tags: Adolescence, Children, Healthy Eating, Girls, Mental Health, Parenthood
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USDA Unveils New Dietary Standards
6/3/2011 3:05:17 PM
On June 2, First Lady Michelle Obama and Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin unveiled the USDA’s new dietary guidelines, called MyPlate, which will replace the previous food pyramid. MyPlate aims to make making healthy food decisions easier by replacing the previous standards which used daily numbers of servings with a graphic depiction of a plate filled on one half with fruits and vegetables, with whole grains and lean protein occupying a quarter each, and a small serving of dairy. MyPlate is an extension of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative to reduce childhood obesity.
Several Schubert Center Faculty Associates study childhood obesity and related health problems. - Dr. Leona Cuttler of the Department of Pediatrics studies diabetes and childhood obesity.
- Dr. Elaine Borawski of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods studies various health behavior interventions aimed at obesity and diet modification.
- Dr. Marilyn Lotas of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing recently spoke at the Schubert Center on her research on childhood hypertension and obesity in Cleveland public schools. A policy brief on that study can be downloaded here.
Click here to visit the official MyPlate website and learn more about the new recommendations.
Click here to read an NPR article on the changes.
Click here to read a Washington Post article on the changes.
Tags: Children, Healthy Eating, Obesity
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U.S. Proposes Stricter Guidelines Limiting Unhealthy Food Advertising to Kids
5/10/2011 11:53:40 AM
The federal government released new guidelines April 28 pressuring food companies to reduce marketing of unhealthy foods to children by 2016. The guidelines aim to limit advertising tactics aimed at children, such as the use of cartoon characters, online video games, and free toys, for foods high in sugar, fat or salt.
The Federal Trade Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, the Agriculture Department and the Centers for Disease Control developed the guidelines, which were created at the request of Congress. The guidelines require that foods that advertise to children include healthful ingredients, like whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, or low fat milk, and do not contain unhealthful amounts of sugar, saturated fat, trans fat and salt.
Although the guidelines are voluntary, experts suggest that companies will face significant pressure to adopt them. Margo Wooton, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, was quoted in the New York Times as saying, “With all the concern about childhood obesity, I think there’s a lot of pressure on companies to do the right thing and follow these standards.”
Several Schubert Center Faculty Associates study childhood obesity and related health problems. - Dr. Leona Cuttler of the Department of Pediatrics studies diabetes and childhood obesity.
- Dr. Elaine Borawski of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods studies various health behavior interventions aimed at obesity and diet modification.
- Dr. Marilyn Lotas of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing recently spoke at the Schubert Center on her research on childhood hypertension and obesity in Cleveland public schools. A policy brief on that study can be downloaded here.
To read a New York Times article on the new guidelines, click here.
To read a Washington Post article on the new guidelines, click here.
To read a Wall Street Journal article on the new guidelines, click here.
Tags: Children, Healthy Eating, Health, Obesity
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Study Finds Parental Involvement Key in Reducing Childhood Obesity
3/29/2011 10:31:18 AM
A study released today in Pediatrics found that an obesity reduction program that combined twice-weekly exercise sessions for children with once-weekly nutrition and behavior modification classes for children and parents resulted in improvements in body weight, body composition, blood lipids and insulin that were sustained for 2 years after the intervention.
The findings of this study are particularly noteworthy because the study specifically targeted ethnically diverse children with very high BMIs. The intervention took place in disadvantaged, inner-city areas and was offered in both Spanish and English. The study was the first to provide long-term results in a disadvantaged or minority population. The study also shows the importance of including parents in nutrition education programs in order to promote long-term adoption of healthier lifestyles.
Several Schubert Center Faculty Associates conduct research and other programs that aim to reduce the prevalence of obesity in children.
To read a brief LA Times article on the study, click here.
To read the study on Pediatrics's website, click here.
To download a policy brief on Dr. Lotas’s program to screen children in CMSD for hypertension and obesity, click here.
Tags: Children, Healthy Eating, Family, Health, Obesity
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One-Third of Ohio Third Graders Obese or Overweight, Report Finds
3/4/2011 10:51:29 AM
A recent report released by the Ohio Department of Health found one third of Ohio third graders are overweight or obese. The report, based on data collected in schools from 2004 to 2010, shows Ohio falls far behind the Health People 2010 objective of reducing the population of overweight or obese children and adolescents to five percent.
The report also found a variety of health disparities between different communities in Ohio. Non-Hispanic black and Hispanic children were found to be significantly more overweight or obese than non-Hispanic white children, and low-income children were significantly more likely to be obese compared to other children. The prevalence of obesity also varied significantly between geographic areas. Children in Appalachian countries had higher prevalence of being overweight or obese than children in other areas, and in some counties, more than 50 percent of children were overweight or obese.
The report describes links between a variety of lifestyle factors and weight in children. Children who drank more than one sugar-sweetened beverage a day were more likely to be overweight or obese than children who had one or fewer sugar-sweetened beverage a day. Children who watched 3 or more hours of TV a day were also more likely to be overweight or obese compared to children who watched less than 3 hours of TV a day.
The report makes several policy recommendations for reducing the level of overweight and obese children, including increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables, providing safe areas for children to be active and play, reducing screen time and reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.
A variety of Schubert Center faculty associates conduct research and other programs that aim to reduce the prevalence of obesity in children. Dr. Marilyn Lotas at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing developed a partnership with Cleveland Metropolitan School District to screen 4th and 7th grade children for hypertension and obesity. This program found 42.8% of children in Cleveland schools were overweight and obese, and 15.7% of children were hypertensive. Children who were overweight and obese were more likely to be hypertensive or pre-hypertensive than those in other weight categories.
Dr. Elaine Borowski and Dr. Leona Cuttler are both involved with Case’s Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods (PRCHN). The PRCHN has several programs aimed at improving access to healthy foods, teaching youth about nutrition and promoting physical activity to reduce childhood obesity. Their FreshLink project aims to increase access to healthy foods in urban areas and educate residents about nutrition and the benefits of healthy foods through programs with local schools, food retail establishments, community gardens, and community centers. The PRCHN recently received a $12.5 million grant to begin a seven-year project following 450 overweight and obese Cleveland Metropolitan School District students and examining the effectiveness of three different approaches to reduce childhood obesity and high blood pressure.
To download a copy of the report, click here.
To read the ODH summary of the report, click here.
To download a Schubert Center policy brief on Dr. Lotas’s program to screen children in CMSD for hyptertension and obesity, click here.
Tags: Children, Healthy Eating, Obesity
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School Lunch Bill Provides More Funding, Healthier Choices
12/16/2010 1:19:48 PM
On Monday December 13, President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, a $4.5 billion expansion of the school lunch program. The bill adds 6 cents per reimbursed school meal, the first noninflationary increase in federal reimbursement of school lunches in more than 30 years. The increase is intended to provide funding to help schools increase the nutritional standards of federally-subsidized lunches. Additionally, the bill increases the number of children eligible for fully or partially reimbursed meals by 115,000 and streamlines the process of receiving free or reduced-price lunches.
The bill also gives the USDA the authority to set nutritional standards for all foods sold in schools, including vending machines, and requires audits every three years to ensure compliance with nutritional standards. A sample menu showing elementary school meals before and after the bill shows that meals such as pizza sticks with marinara sauce with a banana, raisins and whole milk will be changed to meals such as chef salad featuring low-fat mozzarella and grilled chicken with a whole wheat soft pretzel, cooked corn, baby carrots, a banana, skim chocolate milk and low-fat dressing. The bill also aims to source some foods in school lunches from local farms and create school gardens.
Michelle Obama has heavily supported the bill as part of her initiative to reduce childhood obesity and improve child nutrition. She released a statement saying “We can all agree that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, all children should have the basic nutrition they need to learn and grow and to pursue their dreams, because in the end, nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our children. Nothing. And our hopes for their future should drive every single decision that we make.”
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Hunger, Nutrition and Family Farms, was a strong supporter of the bill. The director of legislative services for the Ohio School Boards Association in Colombus, Damon F. Asbury, mentioned concerns about whether the bill provides sufficient funding to offset the increased costs of implementing the new standards.
Tags: Children, Healthy Eating, Education, Obesity, Poverty, School
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Eating Disorders Rise Among Young Children
11/30/2010 2:08:19 PM
Eating disorders, which include anorexia, bulimia, and other behavior patterns marked by extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food, continue to be a pervasive problem affecting children and youth. An estimated 0.5 percent of American women suffer from anorexia, and between one to two percent from bulimia, resulting in 0.8 to 14 percent of Americans generally having at least some of the physical and psychological symptoms of an eating disorder. These disorders can have significant and long-term effects on the physical, mental and emotional health of both the affected individual and his or her family and friends. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, and anorexia is particularly deadly. The mortality rate associated with anorexia is 12 times higher than the death rate for all causes of death for females 15 – 24 years old.
A recent report published in the journal Pediatrics suggests that not only are eating disorder rates continuing to rise, these disorders are spreading into new populations. Of particular concern is the significant increase in eating disorders for children under the age of 12; hospitalizations for eating disorders for this age group have jumped by 119 percent in recent years. Also of concern are the increasing rates of eating disorder among boys, minority populations and individuals from a lower socioeconomic background, all groups that have previously had low rates of eating disorders. These data suggest the need for more intensive research into both the etiology and treatment of eating disorders.
Also of note, the report suggests an increase in eating disorders both among immigrant populations in the United States and in other non-Western countries. Dr. Eileen Anderson-Fye, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at CWRU and a Schubert Center Faculty Associate, conducts research examining the phenomenon of eating disorders in other cultural contexts. Her work focuses on the role of culture in mediating notions of body image and norms around food and eating, specifically in Belize. Dr. Anderson-Fye’s work also addresses how body image and eating may change in the context of globalization, a process which is itself associated with increased rates of eating disorders. Click here to learn more about Dr. Anderson-Fye’s work.
To learn more about recent trends in eating disorder rates, access the original article in Pediatrics by clicking here.
To read a summary of the journal article, click here.
Tags: Adolescence, Children, Healthy Eating, Mental Health
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Research on Childhood Obesity at CWRU
11/16/2010 8:55:00 AM
Childhood obesity is a widespread problem affecting children’s health. Obesity during childhood is associated with a range of health problems including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint problems and sleep apnea. In addition, obese children are at greater risk for becoming obese adults, which affects their long-term health.
In Cleveland, approximately 40 percent of children are overweight or obese, a rate significantly higher than the national average, estimated at around 30 percent. These rates have been rising in recent years, despite increasing public awareness of the problem. This trend is due, at least in part, to the lack of obesity treatment interventions that are effective over the long term. While clinical interventions may be effective in treating obesity over the short term, their impact is rarely sustainable once the intervention is complete.
Schubert Center Faculty Associate Dr. Leona Cuttler is on the front lines of the fight against childhood obesity. Cleveland has been chosen as one of four sites in the NIH-sponsored Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research initiative. Dr. Cuttler, together with her colleagues at CWRU and University Hospitals, will be collaborating with other local partners to recruit and follow more than 400 families to assess the effectiveness of various treatment interventions for obesity. The three treatment interventions include:
- “Usual Care,” a program including education on healthy lifestyles that will be used as a control group,
- “HealthyChange,” a program of additional interventions targeting variables associated with obesity such as TV watching and sleep habits,
- “SystemChange,” an even more intensive intervention designed to reconfigure the microdynamics of the family environment by mapping the families' daily behaviors and targeting unhealthy patterns.
Each family will receive one of these three intervention programs. The researchers will follow the families throughout the six month intervention and a six month follow-up period in order to determine the relative effectiveness of the different interventions. The most success intervention could provide a new model for treating childhood obesity nationally.
Tags: Children, Healthy Eating, Family, Health, Obesity
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Nutrition Interventions in Cleveland
8/20/2010 11:29:39 AM
Jessica Kelley-Moore, PhD and Schubert Center Associate Elaine Borawski, PhD are leading the way in building better opportunities for Cleveland community members to make healthy choices when eating. Their work on the Corner Store Project has improved the accessibility of fresh produce for members of the Cleveland community. The pilot Cleveland Corner Store Project, completed in the summer of 2009, and served as valuable evidence to support expanded efforts in this and other areas of neighborhood health. Recently, the School of Medicine went after and won a prized grant from the CDC to launch the Case Western Reserve University Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods (PRCHN).
“Increasing Access to Healthy Foods in Urban Neighborhoods” is the first major research effort—the core project—for the PRCHN. “The kick-off project takes aim at the problem of poor nutrition and its adverse health effects, which disproportionately plague those in underserved urban communities,” says Borawski, who is director of the School of Medicine’s Center for Health Promotion Research and co-director and principal investigator of the PRCHN.
Of the scope of the new project, Kelley-Moore, says, “Multiply the corner store project by four. Add schools, community gardens and community centers as points of impact with corner stores, and you have an idea of the promise of this Healthy Neighborhoods core project.”
To read an article about Drs. Kelley-Moore and Borawski's research click here
To read more about health food initiatives in Cleveland and nationwide:
Center for Health Promotion Research at Case Western Reserve University
The Senate passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act on August 6, 2010, a bill that provides an additional $4.5 billion over 10 years to federal child nutrition programs including school lunch. If signed into law, it will be the first time that the federal government has increased funding for the programs in 30 years.
Tags: Adolescence, Children, Development, Early Childhood, Healthy Eating, Health Insurance, Obesity
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Cartoon Characters Attract Children to Junk Food
6/28/2010 10:40:39 AM
According to a new study, between fifty and fifty-five percent of children say that food from a package decorated with a cartoon character tastes better than the same exact food from a plain package. The use of cartoon characters to sell products to children is not new. This study also questions the role of emotions when marketing products to children. This study concludes with a call for new research examining the potential of using characters to market healthy vegetables and fruits to children.
Click here to read the article
Tags: Children, Healthy Eating
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