M-HPRC Info Monthly January 2011

Colleagues, friends,

Here is the “Info Monthly” for January 2011 (a Happy, Healthy New Year to ALL) in four parts:

A.    Announcements: e.g. announced Meetings, Conferences, Resources
B.    News, i.e. print and electronic media stories, usually bylined
C.    Reports, Essays, Commentaries, Policy Briefs, now including the National Academy of Sciences pubs
D.    Research and Reviews: peer-reviewed journal articles

As usual, we trust that you will skim these contents for the pieces that matter to you most.

Thanks for all you do.

Robert H. Ross, PhD
Scientific Director, Maine-Harvard Prevention Research Center at the University of New England
January 26, 2011

A.    Announcements

1. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Evaluation Series. Last year RWJ introduced the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Evaluation Series: Guidance for Evaluators. It was developed  to help evaluators as they begin their assessment of Foundation programs. New tools and resources continue to be added to this series.
   

2. Strong Medicine for a Healthier America. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Supplement Examines How Social Factors Influence Health and Why Action is Needed. A supplement to the latest issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, includes six articles and a broad array of commentaries that provide a fundamental understanding of the fact that where we live, learn, work and play has as much to do with our health as the health care we receive. The authors address factors ranging from early childhood education, to homes and communities, to the economic rationale for improving the lives of disadvantaged Americans. Articles include: "When Do We Know Enough to Recommend Action on the Social Determinants of Health" "Businesses As Partners to Improve Community Health" "The Economic Value of Improving the Health of Disadvantaged Americans" "To Improve Health, Don't Follow the Money" "Improving Health: Social Determinants and Personal Choice."

3. Introducing PreventObesity.net. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 1/11/11. PreventObesity.net is a groundbreaking new tool sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help build the movement to reverse childhood obesity and connect leaders in the movement with one another. A map of the movement shows people working on healthy eating, active living and other obesity-related issues. People and organizations can add themselves to the map to show their presence in the movement. Those who join the Leadership Network can download contact info for others. The map of the movement is available as a widget to embed on your own site. Highlight your organization's role in this nationwide movement, and give your site visitors an opportunity to add themselves to the network. Their blog analysis helps organizers target the right blogs when they have stories or reports to share. They also offer cell phone tools to get people engaged in advocacy efforts through text messaging. Click here to see and add yourself to the map of the movement. http://www.preventobesity.net/map?cid=xem|2011-01-RWJFCA. For questions about PreventObesity.net, please e-mail Rebecca Frank at rebecca@preventobesity.net or call 800-399-9590.

4.  Healthy Eating Research: Building Evidence to Prevent Childhood Obesity. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Jan 13, 2011. Application Deadline: Multiple. Healthy Eating Research: Building Evidence to Prevent Childhood Obesity is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The program supports research on environmental and policy strategies with strong potential to promote healthy eating among children to prevent childhood obesity, especially among lower-income and racial and ethnic populations at highest risk for obesity. Findings are expected to advance RWJF’s efforts to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015. This call for proposals is for three types of awards aimed at providing key decision- and policy-makers with evidence to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic. The three award types are: Round 6 grants, rapid-response grants and RWJF New Connections grants awarded through the Healthy Eating Research program. Key Dates:Total Award: Approximately $2.35 million will be awarded under this call for proposals for the three award types.
   Overview: http://www.rwjf.org/files/applications/cfp/overview_HER2011.pdf
   Call for Proposals: http://www.rwjf.org/files/applications/cfp/cfp_HER2011.pdf
   

5. Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration Funding Opportunity Announcement. Grants.gov, Jan 19, 2011. ACA Publication Notice: NCCDPHP RFA-DP-11-007. The following is notice that RFA-DP-11-007, "Affordable Care Act (ACA): Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration", has been published on Grants.gov. The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity and partners are pleased to send to you information on a Funding Opportunity Announcement related to Childhood Obesity Research. Background: The objective of the research demonstrations is to determine whether an integrated model of primary care and public health approaches in the community can improve underserved children's risk factors for obesity.  These approaches may include policy, systems, and environmental supports that encourage nutrition and physical activity for underserved children and their families. The closing date for this FOA is April 8, 2011.To Access the Announcement & Application Package: 1. Go to: http://www.grants.gov 2. Select: "For Applicants" 3. Select: "Find Grant Opportunities" 4. Select: "Basic Search" 5. Type in the Funding Opportunity Number, formatted as: RFA-DP-11-007. Three Demonstration Projects (Component A) and one Evaluation Center (Component B) will be funded. Key Dates: Teleconference: Feb 16, 2011, Letter of Intent Due Date: Feb 22, 2011, Closing Date for Applications: Apr 8, 2011, Start Date: Sep 2011. Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement.

6. Public Health Law Research: Making the Case for Laws That Improve Health. Application Deadline: April 20, 2011—3:00 PM EDT. Public Health Law Research (PHLR) is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation®. The program seeks to build the evidence for and strengthen the use of regulatory, legal and policy solutions to improve public health and help people lead healthier lives. PHLR is equally interested in identifying and ameliorating laws and legal practices that unintentionally harm health. PHLR’s purpose is to answer important questions, such as: How does law influence health and health behavior? Which laws have the greatest impact? Can current laws be made more effective through better enforcement, or do they require amendment? More details and how to apply.

 

B.    News

1. 5 myths about school food. Janet Poppendieck, Washington Post, December 17, 2010. A challenge to everything you think you know. When President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act on Monday, he joked that if he hadn't been able to get the bill passed he would have been "sleeping on the couch." His wife, Michelle, laughed this off: "Let's just say, it got done so we don't have to go down that road," she told the crowd at a D.C. elementary school for the signing. The bill, which was a priority for the first lady, is designed to improve both access to and quality of school food, and it contains many provisions that will help in Michelle Obama's campaign to end childhood obesity within a generation -- and a few that may actually hurt it. The fight over how and what we feed our kids at school is a complex one; clear thinking about what we need is often hampered by persistent myths. 1. School meals are free for the children who really need them. 2. Most students who don't participate in the National School Lunch Program eat a healthy lunch brought from home. 3. Kids won't eat vegetables. 4. Schools need to sell junk foods to break even. 5. Higher federal nutrition standards will ensure healthy eating.
   

2. CDC, Private Groups Encourage IT Strategies To Boost Public Health. iHealthBeat, Jan 5, 2011. Many communities are using online social networking and other interactive strategies to raise awareness of local health issues, the Wall Street Journal reports. Last month, the federal government released Healthy People 2020 goals, which aim to improve the health status of local communities. CDC and private health care organizations have teamed up to give communities various tools to improve public health.
   

3. New guidelines would make school lunches healthier. Associated Press, Jan 12, 2011. WASHINGTON (AP) - Schoolchildren would have to hold the fries - and pick up more whole grains, fruits and vegetables - on the lunch line under proposed new federal standards for school lunches. The Agriculture Department proposal applies to lunches subsidized by the federal government and would be the first major nutritional overhaul of school meals in 15 years. It is expected to be announced Thursday. The guidelines, which were obtained by The Associated Press and confirmed by USDA, would require schools to cut sodium in those meals by more than half, use more whole grains and serve low fat milk. They also would limit kids to only one cup of starchy vegetables a week, so schools couldn't offer french fries every day. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the new standards could affect more than 32 million children and are crucial because kids can consume as much as half of their daily calories in school.
   

4. Broad Racial Disparities Seen in Americans' Ills. The New York Times, Donald J. McNeil, Jr., 01/13/2011. White people in the United States die of drug overdoses more often than other ethnic groups. Black people are hit proportionately harder by AIDS, strokes and heart disease. And American Indians are more likely to die in car crashes.

5. Has Maine Gotten Healthier In The Past 10 Years? It Depends. The Lewiston (Me.) Sun Journal, Lindsay Tice, 01/16/2011.Ten years ago, nearly one-quarter of Maine adults smoked. The state wanted to get that rate down to 19 percent. From one in four people smoking to one in five — it seemed like a stretch. But changes took place.  “... But for every health goal met, the state hasn't met two others. The number of adults with health insurance has changed little in the past 10 years and isn’t close to the state’s goal of 100 percent. Fewer Mainers are protecting themselves against skin cancer. There are more substantiated child abuse and neglect cases. Homicides are up. Obesity is a major problem. …”

 

C.    Reports, Essays, Commentaries, Policy briefs

1. Examination of Front-of-Package Nutrition Rating Systems and Symbols: Phase I Report. The federal government requires that most packaged foods carry a standardized label--the Nutrition Facts panel--that provides nutrition information intended to help consumers make healthful choices. In recent years, manufacturers have begun to include...
   

2. Planning a WIC Research Agenda: Workshop Summary. The time has come to initiate a new program of research on the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (commonly referred to as WIC). WIC is the third largest food assistance program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture...
   

3. Adult Obesity: CDC Vital Signs Fact Sheet
   

4. National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 2011
   

5. Americans Say Their Diet Is Healthy, but Is It? Survey Suggests Eating Habits Don't Match the Belief of Most Americans That Their Diet Is Healthy. Nancy Metcalf, senior program editor, Consumer Reports Health, Yonkers, N.Y. Consumer Reports Health diet poll.
   

6. Cost of Obesity Approaching $300 Billion a Year. Researchers call for insurance companies to offer incentives for healthy living. Robert Preidt, HealthDay News, January 11, 2011. The total economic cost of overweight and obesity in the United States is $270 billion per year while the cost in Canada is about $30 billion a year, a new study shows. The $300 billion total cost in the United States and Canada is the result of: increased need for medical care ($127 billion); loss of worker productivity due to higher rates of death ($49 billion); loss of productivity due to disability of active workers ($43 billion); and loss of productivity due to total disability ($72 billion), said the Society of Actuaries (SOA). People are considered overweight if their body-mass index (BMI) is between 25 and 29.9 and obese if their BMI is higher than 30. When the SOA researchers separated the economic cost of overweight and obesity to the United States in 2009, they found that it was $72 billion for overweight and $198 billion for obesity. The findings are based on a review of papers published primarily between January 1980 and June 2009. SOURCE: Society of Actuaries, news release, Jan. 10, 2011.
   For a full copy of the SOA's overweight and obesity study: http://www.soa.org/files/pdf/research-2011-obesity-relation-mortality.pdf.
   See http://www.soa.org/news-and-publications/newsroom/press-releases/2011-01-10-obesity.aspx 

7. MMWR Weekly Volume 60, Supplement* January 14, 2011
   PDF of this issue: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/other/su6001.pdf?source=govdelivery
   CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report. *Obesity * United States, 1988--2008 full text: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su6001a15.htm?s_cid=su6001a15_e&source=govdelivery

8. Juliet Sims, Leslie Mikkelsen, Phebe Gibson, Emily Warming. Claiming Health: Front-of-Package Labeling of Children’s Food. Oakland, CA: Prevention Institute. January 2011. Summary. Since the 1995 introduction of the American Heart Association’s heart-healthy symbol, front-of package labels — symbols that denote healthier products — have become increasingly common and are now a widely used food marketing tool. Some food and beverage manufacturers have promoted front-of-package labels as an innovative approach to healthier choices, but serious concerns exist over the potential for these symbols to confuse or mislead consumers, and encourage the purchase of unhealthful items. To investigate these concerns, Prevention Institute examined whether the front-of package labels on grocery store products marketed to children did promote foods that were healthful. After reviewing fifty-eight children’s food products containing front-of package labels, we found that 84% were unhealthy, as they did not meet one or more nutrient criteria.
   

9. WHO Guidelines: Marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children. In May 2010, at the Sixty-third World Health Assembly, the WHO Member States endorsed a set of recommendations on the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children (resolution WHA63.14). The recommendations were developed in response to a request made by Member States in May 2007 (resolution WHA60.23). The main purpose of the recommendations is to guide efforts by Member States in designing new and/or strengthening existing policies on food marketing communications to children in order to reduce the impact on children of marketing of foods high in saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, free sugars, or salt.

10. Shifting the Paradigm: How systems thinking can change the way we address the obesity epidemic. Diane T. Finegood, Distinguished lecture at the Canadian Obesity. Network Summit, May 7, 2009. Dr. Finegood applies systems thinking to the complex problem of obesity. She directs a chronic disease systems modeling lab at Simon Fraser University. She argues we don't need to understand the causes of the problem (the problem-oriented approach), rather we just need to understand the causes of the solution (the solution-oriented approach). Video (37:38).
    

 

D.    Research and Reviews

1.    Child overweight/obesity

1.1.    Determinants, Risk factors, Co-occurring conditions

1.1.1.    Associations between severity of obesity in childhood and adolescence, obesity onset and parental BMI: a longitudinal cohort study. V Svensson, J A Jacobsson, R Fredriksson, P Danielsson, T Sobko, H B Schiöth and C Marcus. Int J Obes 2011 35: 46-52; advance online publication, September 21, 2010; 10.1038/ijo.2010.189. Abstract | Full Text

1.2.    Disparities

1.3.    Prevalence, Incidence

1.3.1.    MMWR Weekly *Volume 60, No. 2* January 21, 2011. CDC Grand Rounds: Childhood Obesity in the United States *
full text: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6002a2.htm?s_cid=mm6002a2_e&source=govdelivery.
See link for references and figures: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6002a2.htm

1.4.    Physical activity and Nutrition

1.4.1.    Phillips MM, Raczynski JM, West DS, Pulley L, Bursac Z, Gauss CH, Walker JF. Changes in school environments with implementation of Arkansas Act 1220 of 2003. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010 Feb;18 Suppl 1:S54-61. PubMed PMID: 20107462. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20107462

1.4.2.    Relative contribution of energy intake and energy expenditure to childhood obesity: a review of the literature and directions for future research. S N Bleich, R Ku and Y C Wang. Int J Obes 2011 35: 1-15; advance online publication, November 30, 2010; 10.1038/ijo.2010.252. Abstract

1.4.3.    Physical activity as the main therapeutic tool for metabolic syndrome in childhood. P Brambilla, G Pozzobon and A Pietrobelli. Int J Obes 2011 35: 16-28; advance online publication, December 7, 2010; 10.1038/ijo.2010.255. Abstract

1.4.4.    Diet vs exercise for the prevention of pediatric obesity: the role of exercise. B Gutin. Int J Obes 2011 35: 29-32; advance online publication, July 20, 2010; 10.1038/ijo.2010.140. Abstract

1.4.5.    Welsh JA, Sharma A, Cunningham SA, Vos MB. Consumption of Added Sugars and Indicators of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among US Adolescents. Circulation. 2011 Jan 25;123(3):249-257. Epub 2011 Jan 10. PubMed PMID: 21220734. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21220734

1.5.    Intervention, Outcomes, including Cost

1.5.1.    Roseman MG, Riddell MC, Haynes JN. A Content Analysis of Kindergarten-12th Grade School-based Nutrition Interventions: Taking Advantage of Past Learning. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2011 Jan-Feb;43(1):2-18. PubMed PMID: 21216364. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21216364

1.5.2.    Jelalian E, Lloyd-Richardson EE, Mehlenbeck RS, Hart CN, Flynn-O'Brien K, Kaplan J, Neill M, Wing RR. Behavioral weight control treatment with supervised exercise or peer-enhanced adventure for overweight adolescents. J Pediatr. 2010 Dec;157(6):923-928.e1. Epub 2010 Jul 23. PubMed PMID: 20655544; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2988988. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20655544

1.6.    Measurement

1.6.1.    Predictive associations between alternative measures of childhood adiposity and adult cardio-metabolic health. M D Schmidt, T Dwyer, C G Magnussen and A J Venn. Int J Obes 2011 35: 38-45; advance online publication, September 28, 2010; 10.1038/ijo.2010.205. Abstract

2.    Adult overweight/obesity

2.1.    Determinants, Risk factors, Co-occurring conditions

2.1.1.    Sleep problems and major weight gain: a follow-up study. P Lyytikäinen, T Lallukka, E Lahelma and O Rahkonen. Int J Obes 2011 35: 109-114; advance online publication, June 8, 2010; 10.1038/ijo.2010.113. Abstract

2.1.2.    Relationship of body mass index in young adulthood and health-related quality of life two decades later: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study. A T Kozak, M L Daviglus, C Chan, C I Kiefe, D R Jacobs, Jr and K Liu. Int J Obes 2011 35: 134-141; advance online publication, June 15, 2010; 10.1038/ijo.2010.120. Abstract

2.2.    Disparities

2.2.1.    Offer A, Pechey R, Ulijaszek S. Obesity under affluence varies by welfare regimes: the effect of fast food, insecurity, and inequality. Econ Hum Biol. 2010. Dec;8(3):297-308. Epub 2010 Jul 27. PubMed PMID: 20801725. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20801725

2.3.    Prevalence, Incidence

2.3.1.    MMWR Weekly *Volume 60, No. 2* January 21, 2011. CDC Grand Rounds: *QuickStats: Age-Adjusted Daily Kilocalorie Intake Among Adults Aged 20--74 Years, by Sex * http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6002a4.htm?s_cid=mm6002a4_e&source=govdelivery. Sources: Wright JD, Wang CY. Trends in intake of energy and macronutrients in adults from 1999--2000 through 2007--2008. NCHS Data Brief no. 49. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db49.htm>http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db49.htm

2.4.    Physical activity and Nutrition

2.4.1.    Hankinson AL, Daviglus ML, Bouchard C, Carnethon M, Lewis CE, Schreiner PJ, Liu K, Sidney S. Maintaining a high physical activity level over 20 years and weight gain. JAMA. 2010 Dec 15;304(23):2603-10. Erratum in: JAMA. 2011 Jan 12;305(2):150. PubMed PMID: 21156948. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21156948

2.4.2.    Carlson SA, Guide R, Schmid T, Moore L, Barradas D, and Fulton J. Public support for street-scale urban design practices and policies to increase physical activity. J of Physical Activity and Health, 2011, 8(Suppl 1), S125-S134.

2.4.3.    ‘I just can’t help myself’: effects of food-cue exposure in overweight and lean individuals. D Ferriday and J M Brunstrom. Int J Obes 2011 35: 142-149; advance online publication, June 15, 2010; 10.1038/ijo.2010.117. Abstract

2.5.    Intervention, Outcomes, including Cost

2.5.1.     Dyson PA. The therapeutics of lifestyle management on obesity. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2010 Nov;12(11):941-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1463-1326.2010.01256.x. PubMed PMID: 20880340. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20880340

2.6.    Measurement

2.6.1.    Tremper C, Thomas S, Wagenaar AC. Measuring law for evaluation research. Eval Rev. 2010 Jun;34(3):242-66. PubMed PMID: 20479214. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20479214