08/11/2008

• Breastfeeding Report Card—United States, 2008
  Breastfeeding rates in Utah have achieved the Healthy People 2010 Objectives, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s Breastfeeding Report Card—United States, 2008.  Based on data from the annual CDC National Immunization Survey for births in 2005, the report shows an increase in breastfeeding initiation, with 90.3% of infants ever breastfed.  Only 17.3% were exclusively breastfeeding at 6 months.  Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months is associated with decreased risk of obesity.

08/06/2008

• Most children's meals at 13 top fast food restaurants exceeded the recommend caloric intake according to a new report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. In fact 93 percent of 1,474 possible choices at the 13 chains exceeded 430 calories—an amount that is one-third of what the Institute of Medicine recommends that children aged four through eight should consume in an entire day.

07/28/2008

• Florida state analysis assesses relationship between pre-pregnancy maternal obesity and risk of infant death. Infants born to women who were obese had odds of infant death 23% higher than the odds for the reference group of infants born to women with normal BMIs.

07/21/2008

• A study of 1032 participants in the 1991-2007 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development measured physical activity levels among children. The children were 9 years old at the beginning of the study and 15 years old at the end of the study. At age 9 years, children engaged in approximately 3 hours of physical activity per day on both weekends and weekdays. By age 15 years, adolescents were only engaging in moderate or vigorous physical activity for 49 minutes per weekday and 35 minutes per weekend day. The rate of decrease was the same for boys and girls. Current recommendations are for boys and girls to get at least 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity each day.
  

06/30/2008

• After a VERY competitive bidding process, Utah is one of the 8 newly funded states, along with 15 previously funded states, to receive an obesity grant from CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. This grant marks a dramatic opportunity for UDOH to build capacity to better address the critical public health issues of overweight and obesity. The funding will allow the UDOH to establish a Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity Program within the Bureau of Health Promotion.The first year will focus on establishing staff, further developing a coalition of diverse partners who will give input into the development of a detailed, comprehensive five-year state plan for obesity prevention, identifying priority populations, enhancing program evaluation activities, and monitoring trends in obesity and associated risk factors. Future efforts will focus on working with public and private partners to promote policies and environments that support healthy behaviors in communities, work sites, and schools. Press release (PDF)
  

06/03/2008

• According to the 2006 School Health Profiles (Profiles) survey, Utah middle and high schools ranked worst in the nation among all states in the percentage of schools offering chocolate candy (85.9%), salty snacks not low in fat (75.9%) and soda pop (86.0%) in vending machines or at the school store, canteen or snack bar. Utah also ranked worst among states with the percentage of schools that restricted access to these foods during lunch periods (18.7%).

06/02/2008

• Data on children aged 2-19 from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) showed that 16.3% were obese and nearly one-third (31.9%) were at an unhealthy weight. There were no significant differences in the rates between the 2003-2004 survey and the 2005-2006 survey, which may be an indication that the increasing obesity in children may leveling off.

05/22/2008

• Washington Post childhood obesity series

04/16/2008

• Obesity during pregnancy carries bigger price tag. Study finds the extra health-care costs strain the system. Link to NEJM abstract.

04/15/2008

• A new study shows increased state spending on parks and recreation and required physical education classes are linked to increased physical activity levels among youth.
  

04/14/2008

• A study of the sleep patterns of 915 children at ages 6 month, 1 year and 2 years found that daily sleep duration of less than 12 hours during infancy appears to be a risk factor for overweight and adiposity in preschool-aged children.

04/08/2008

• The Utah Legislature recognizes healthy weight is everyone's 'business' and declares April 2008 as Utah's Obesity Awareness month.

04/07/2008

• In 2003 The Food Trust developed a Comprehensive School Nutrition Policy for the School District of Philadelphia (1200K .pdf) to help youth attain their full educational potential and good health by providing them with the skills, social support and environmental reinforcement needed to adopt long-term healthy eating habits. The Comprehensive School Nutrition Policy Initiative was evaluated by Dr. Gary Foster of Temple University. The initiative was found to reduce the incidence of childhood overweight by 50%. The result were published in the April 2008 journal Pediatrics.

03/26/2008

• Weight loss interventions achieve short-term success, but re-gain is common. In this study 1032 overweight or obese adults with hypertension, dyslipidemia, or both who had lost at least 4 kg (8.8 pounds) during a 6-month weight loss program were randomized to one of three weight-loss maintenance programs: monthly personal contact, unlimited access to an interactive technology–based intervention, or self-directed control. Overall, 71% of all subjects remained below entry weight. Those receiving monthly personal contact regained less weight than those in the interactive technology-based intervention or the self-directed control group.
  

03/05/2008

• A study of 70 overweight children aged 4 to 7 was done to assess the impact of a 50% reduction in television viewing on physical activity, energy intake and overweight. Children randomized to the intervention group showed greater reductions in targeted sedentary behavior, body mass index and energy intake compared with the control group. Socioeconomic status moderated BMI change, with the experimental intervention working better among families of low socioeconomic status. Reducing television viewing and computer use may have an important role in preventing obesity and in lowering BMI in young children, and these changes may be related more to changes in energy intake than to changes in physical activity.

01/15/2008

• A cross-sectional analysis in the American Journal of Health Promotion examined associations of built environment variables with obesity prevalence and individual BMI among 421 impoverished residents of public housing developments. The study found that male gender and more supportive neighborhoods, with greater resource accessibility, more amenities, greater street connectivity, higher quality physical activity feature ratings, and fewer incivilities, were related to lower obesity prevalence rates and BMI among residents.

01/09/2008

• Screen Time Linked to High Blood Pressure in Obese Children
  In obese children, the amount of time spent watching TV is associated with both hypertension and the severity of obesity. Thus, TV viewing is a potential target for addressing hypertension in obese children.
  
• A study of 5723 girls aged 12 to 18 years found that those with lower self-reported social status were more likely to increase body mass index within the two year period.
• A study of 3345 adolescents in grades 8 to 12 with body mass index available at baseline and 5 years later found that increasing participation in certain extracurricular physical activities and physical education decreased the likelihood of young adulthood overweight. The likelihood of being an overweight adult was reduced most by performing certain wheel-related activities (rollerblading, roller skating, skateboarding, or bicycling) more than 4 times per week.

12/19/2007

• Expert Committee Recommendation Papers available in Pediatrics Supplement
  The American Medical Association, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,convened an expert committee to develop recommendations on the assessment, prevention, and treatment of child and youth overweight and obesity. The expert committee guided the development of 3 articles that would explore current evidence-based science and form the basis of new recommendations on the assessment, prevention, and treatment of child and adolescent overweight and obesity. These articles, along with 1 overarching support document, are available as a supplemental issue of Pediatrics. The issue is: PEDIATRICS Vol. 120 Supplement December 2007

12/10/2007

• Utah's Healthy Kids, Healthy America grant application was funded. Utah was not listed in the initial funding announcement in July. However, since then, 5 additional states were funded. Our vision is to increase opportunities for Utah children to eat healthy and be active in the school setting. Our goals include:
1. Enroll 100% of elementary schools in Davis School District in Gold Medal Schools.
2. Provide new education/training for elementary school teachers to transition from 90 minutes of PE per week to 150 per week minutes of PE.
3. Establish a new Utah Parent Teacher Association policy for non-food incentives in the classrooms.
4. Spread the lessons learned to all Gold Medal Schools.

Printable project summary and the entire proposal.

11/07/2007

• National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 1971-1994, with mortality follow-up through 2000 was analyzed to identify cause-specific excess deaths related to obesity. Overweight was associated with significantly decreased mortality from noncancer, non-CVD causes but not associated with cancer or CVD mortality. Obesity was associated with significantly increased CVD mortality but not associated with cancer mortality or with noncancer, non-CVD mortality. Overweight and obesity combined were associated with increased mortality from diabetes and kidney disease and decreased mortality from other noncancer, non-CVD causes. Obesity was associated with increased mortality from cancers considered obesity-related but not associated with mortality from other cancers.
• Recent cardiovascular improvements have not been accompanied by reduced disability within the obese older population. Obese participants surveyed during 1999-2004 were more likely to report functional impairments than obese participants surveyed during 1988-1994, and reductions in activities for daily living (ADL) impairment observed for nonobese older individuals did not occur in those who were obese. Over time, declines in obesity-related mortality, along with a younger age at onset of obesity, could lead to an increased burden of disability within the obese older population.

11/05/2007

• Is Price a Barrier to Eating More Fruits and Vegetables for Low-Income Families? Journal of the American Dietetic Association, November 2007: Pages 1909-1915

11/02/2007

• The Utah School Nurse Association's fall conference was held Friday, November 2, 2007 in the Utah County Health and Justice Building with the theme "Change - Imagine the Possibilities". Michael Friedrichs and Patrice Isabella from the Utah Department of Health presented on the child height and weight project in Utah and the State's efforts to reduce childhood obesity.
  • Michael Friedrichs' PowerPoint presentation - Children's Height & Weight Surveillance, 2002 & 2006
  • Patrice Isabella's PowerPoint presentation - Reducing Childhood Obesity: The Role of Schools

10/19/2007

• 2006 CDC School Health Policies and Programs Study reveals improvements in school environments for food offerings and physical activity, although the nation's schools are still far from getting straight A's. The School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) is a national survey periodically conducted to assess school health policies and practices at the state, district, school, and classroom levels.

09/24/2007

• Family Meals during Adolescence Are Associated with Higher Diet Quality and Healthful Meal Patterns during Young Adulthood

09/12/2007

• The Utah Department of Health released the most recent obesity data for Utah adults on September 11, 2007 in the Utah Health Status Update, Overweight/Obese, September 2007
  The continued increased rate of obesity and overweight combined is troublesome, and the more rapid increase in the obesity rate is of particular concern.

09/04/2007

• The Relationship Between Relative Weight and School Attendance Among Elementary Schoolchildren - Andrew B. Geier, Gary D. Foster, Leslie G. Womble, Jackie McLaughlin, Kelley E. Borradaile, Joan Nachmani, Sandy Sherman, Shiriki Kumanyika, and Justine Shults
  A total of 1069 fourth to sixth graders from nine elementary schools in the inner city of Philadelphia, PA, were part of an ongoing randomized control trial to assess prevention strategies for obesity. Absentee data for the entire academic year were recorded by homeroom teachers. Participants were classified into relative weight categories described by the Institute of Medicine: underweight, normal-weight, overweight, and obese. The results suggest that in addition to the medical and psychosocial consequences of being overweight, heavier children have greater risk for school absenteeism than their normal-weight peers.

08/23/2007

• A case-control study in Sweden matched 2010 severely obese persons who got bariatric surgery with 2037 severely obese persons who did not. Bariatric surgery for severe obesity was associated with long-term weight loss and decreased overall mortality.

07/24/2007

• First-ever Health Behavior Survey Data Now Available by Neighborhood. Would you like to know how physically active your neighbors are? Or whether your town is more overweight than others? Just check the Utah Department of Health’s (UDOH) new Utah Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) report. The report summarizes the results of a comprehensive phone survey of more than 22,000 Utahns across the state.

06/26/2007

• Two Healthy Eating Research Briefs released in May 2007 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Scroll down and locate the links on the right lower panel, or link directly to the PDFs below.
  • School Foods Sold Outside of Meals (Competitive Foods)
    Found at least four studies have related the availability of snacks and drinks sold in schools to higher intakes of total energy (kcalories), soft drinks, total fat and saturated fat, and lower intakes of key nutrients (e.g., calcium, vitamin A), fruits, vegetables and milk.16-19
  • Promoting Good Nutrition and Physical Activity in Child-Care Settings

06/05/2007

• School-Based Fitness Changes Are Lost During the Summer Vacation
  School-based interventions for overweight middle-school children documented positive changes in cardiovascular fitness, fasting insulin levels, and body composition during the 9-month school-year. These positive changes were reversed during the 3-month summer break.

05/08/2007

• A systematic review of controlled trials of interventions to prevent childhood obesity and overweight: A realistic synthesis of the evidence
  Connelly, J, et al. Public Health (2007), oi:10.1016/j.puhe.2006.11.015
  Journal of the Royal Institute of Public Health
  By using a novel approach to synthesizing trials, a decisive role for the ‘compulsory’ provision of aerobic physical activity in schools has been demonstrated. Further research is required to identify how such activity can be sustained and transformed into a personally chosen behavior by children and over the life course.

04/30/2007

• Utah's application to the National Governor's Association Center for Best Practices "Healthy Kids, Healthy America Program - Preventing Childhood Obesity in Schools and Communities". Request for Proposals (RFP)
  • Application
  • Appendix A
  • Appendix B
  • Appendix C
  • Appendix D
  • Appendix E
  • Appendix F
  • Appendix G
  • Appendix H
  • Appendix I

04/23/2007

• In a cross-sectional study of 936 participants aged 65 and above in King County, Washington the authors created a walkability score based upon the respondent's built environment. The walkability score was then tested for its association with activity and body mass index. Men were nearly six times and women one and a half times more likely to walk for exercise in areas with higher walkability scores. A trend toward lower body mass index in men living in more walkable neighborhoods did not reach statistical significance.

04/11/2007

• Prevalence of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Physical Activity by Race/Ethnicity --- United States, 2005
  Diets high in fruits and vegetables and participation in regular physical activity are associated with a lower risk for several chronic diseases and conditions To examine the combined prevalence of 1) consumption of fruits and vegetables five or more times per day and 2) regular physical activity among U.S. adults by race/ethnicity, CDC analyzed self-reported data from the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). This report describes the results of that analysis, which indicated that the combined prevalence of these two behavioral strategies was higher among men of multiple/other races (16.5%) compared with non-Hispanic white men (12.6%). In addition, only 12.6% of non-Hispanic black women and 14.8% of Hispanic women, compared with 17.4% of non-Hispanic white women, engaged in these two behavioral strategies. These results underscore the need to promote diets high in fruits and vegetables and regular physical activity among all populations in the United States and among racial and ethnic minority communities in particular.
  

03/29/2007

• A new Kaiser Family Foundation study finds that food is the top product seen advertised by children. The study, Food for Thought: Television Food Advertising to Children in the United States, combines content analysis of TV ads with detailed data about children’s viewing habits to provide an estimate of the number and type of TV ads seen by children of various ages.
  As the fight against childhood obesity escalates, the issue of food advertising to children has come under increasing scrutiny. Policymakers in Congress, the Federal Trade Commission and agencies such as the Institute of Medicine have called for changes in the advertising landscape, and U.S. food and media industries are developing their own voluntary initiatives related to advertising food to children.

03/27/2007

• Effects of Soft Drink Consumption on Nutrition and Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - Lenny R. Vartanian, PhD, Marlene B. Schwartz, PhD and Kelly D. Brownell, PhD
  In a meta-analysis of 88 studies, authors examined the association between soft drink consumption and nutrition and health outcomes. They found clear associations of soft drink intake with increased energy intake and body weight. Soft drink intake also was associated with lower intakes of milk, calcium, and other nutrients and with an increased risk of several medical problems (e.g., diabetes).

03/14/2007

• A 12-month randomized trial conducted in the United States from February 2003 to October 2005 among 311 free-living, overweight/obese (body mass index, 27-40) nondiabetic, premenopausal women found that those assigned to follow the Atkins diet, which had the lowest carbohydrate intake, lost more weight and experienced more favorable overall metabolic effects at 12 months than women assigned to follow the Zone, Ornish, or LEARN diets.

03/06/2007

• Community Gardens Mini-Grant Awards
  Through a grant from the National Governor's Association "Healthy America" Initiative, the Utah Department of Health awarded mini-grants from $1,300 to $4,000 to enhance or start new community gardens in Salt Lake or Weber Counties. Over twenty applications were received from potential community garden projects. Ten awards were given to support four existing gardens and six new gardens.
• Bariatric Surgery in Adolescents - Recent National Trends in Use and In-Hospital Outcome
  Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161:217-221.
  Study analyzed recent nationwide trends in the use of adolescent bariatric surgery and to compare early postoperative outcomes of adolescents and adults undergoing these procedures.
• The Prevalence and Health Care Use of Overweight Children in an Integrated Health Care System
  Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161:222-227.
  Study was done to determine the prevalence, health care use, and costs of overweight children when compared with healthy-weight children.

03/05/2007

• SPECIAL REPORT ON BREASTFEEDING RELEASED
  The supplement to the January-February 2007 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology contains a special report on breastfeeding guidelines. The report, titled Breastfeeding: Maternal and Infant Aspects, was developed by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) Committee on Health Care for Underserved Women and the ACOG Committee on Obstetric Practice to support clinical care for women and to foster change in the public environment that will support breastfeeding. The report is intended for use by health professionals to ensure that women have the correct information to make an informed decision and to ensure that each woman has the help and support necessary to breastfeed successfully.

02/06/2007

• Travel by Walking Before and After School and Physical Activity Among Adolescent Girls - Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Med. 2007;161:153-158
  This study found that middle-school girls who reported walking for transportation before and after school on at least 1 day of a 3-day self-report had significantly higher levels of total physical activity and moderate to vigorous physical activity before school, before and after school,and for an entire day than did girls who reported none.

01/31/2007

• "Childhood Overweight in Utah" is a 4-page document describing a 2006 Utah Department of Health project to weigh and measure elementary school students. The results show that the percentage of elementary school children who are at risk for overweight or who are overweight continues to increase. "What Schools Can Do" is a document describing positive steps that schools have implemented and a list of resources. For more information about the Utah Department of Health's elementary school height & weight studies, contact Michael Friedrichs at 801-538-6244 or mfriedrichs@utah.gov.
  • Childhood Overweight in Utah (PDF 456KB)
    • See the Resources page for prevention recommendations

01/30/2007

• Analysis of middle school students in 4 eastern North Carolina counties using the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS, n=5174) found a relationship between perceived weight status and suicidal thoughts and actions. Females who perceived themselves as overweight were significantly more likely to report suicidal thoughts and actions; while for males, perceptions of overweight and underweight were significantly associated with suicidal thoughts and actions.

01/29/2007

• Obesity or being overweight is seen as the most important health issue for US children, according to a new poll commissioned by Research! America and The Endocrine Society.
  More than one-quarter of Americans surveyed (27%) named obesity as the top health issue for children, followed by lack of health care/insurance (16%) and nutrition/unhealthy diet (9%). Fifty-two percent think obesity is a public health issue that society should address. Eighty-four percent believe the government should provide financial support for obesity prevention programs and 81% believe the government should fund obesity research.

01/19/2007

• Childhood Obesity: Factors Affecting Physical Activity presents findings from a literature review to identify factors affecting rates of physical activity for children and adolescents. The report, prepared by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), follows a previous GAO report that identified "increasing physical activity" as the program strategy experts deemed most important to prevent or reduce childhood overweight and obesity. The current report is based on 53 selected articles published from 2003 to 2006 that focus on factors affecting levels of physical activity in school-age children and adolescents, supplemented with information obtained from organizations that recently published information on childhood overweight and obesity. The factors presented in the articles are discussed in three groups: (1) demographic factors, (2) cognitive and behavioral factors, and (3) community factors. Additional research needs and concluding observations are also provided.

01/10/2007

• In the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study (NGHS), annual measurements were obtained from over 2300 Caucasian African-American girls followed between age 9 or 10 and 18 years; self-reported measures were obtained at age 21 to 23 years. Rates of overweight increased through adolescence from 7% to 10% in the Caucasian girls and from 17% to 24% in the African-American girls. The incidence of overweight was greater at age 9 to 12 than in later adolescence. Girls who were overweight during childhood were 11 to 30 times more likely to be obese in young adulthood. Overweight was significantly associated with increased percent body fat, and unhealthful systolic and diastolic blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.
• Adolescent girls who live within a half-mile of a public park are significantly more physically active than other girls. In a time of growing national concern about increasing rates of obesity and health problems cause by unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles, this research may have implications for community design and planning. Although the magnitude of the association between parks and additional minutes physical activity was small for an individual, amounting to an average of 4%-6% of a girl's total non-school physical activity, it is likely to have a large population-level impact.

01/02/2007

• Effects of Food Marketing to Kids: I’m Lovin’ It?
  National Health Policy Forum - Issue Brief #814; 08/15/2006
  Eileen Salinsky, Principal Research Associate
  This issue brief reviews key findings and recommendations from the Institute of Medicine study on food marketing and its effects on childhood obesity; the childhood obesity epidemic, discusses key trends associated with rising childhood obesity rates, considers the relative role of marketing practices on diet and obesity within the broader context of complex contributory factors; and also summarizes the current legal framework for regulating marketing directed at children; discusses voluntary, self-regulatory mechanisms; and highlights proposals to re-orient marketing practices to combat childhood obesity.

 

Contact: Lynda Blades, MPH, CHES
Physical Activity, Nutrition, & Obesity Program Manager
(801) 538-6229 or lblades@utah.gov