Is there a "pro-obesity" camp?

WASHINGTON — Former first ladies Barbara and Laura Bush worked to end illiteracy. Nancy Reagan famously took on teenage drug use. Lady Bird Johnson planted flowers. But none of them has been seared for something as seemingly benign as calling for kids to eat more vegetables, as Michelle Obama has.

Just about everyone will agree that the nation's children are getting fatter and that obesity is a serious health problem. But the first lady's push for healthier meals and more exercise, which marked its anniversary this month, has provoked a backlash from the right, who complain that the only thing here that's supersized is Big Brother.

Let's Move in the news

How to Build a Walking School Bus Program from Grass Roots Up

Best Practices in Design, Implementation and Dissemination

In 2005, the PedNet Coalition of Columbia, Missouri, tried something new. Four parents, whose kids attended different elementary schools, each agreed to recruit four or five other families in their neighborhoods, create a weekly parent rotation, and walk the kids 1-2 miles to school every day for four weeks. These were Columbia's first Walking School Buses.

Now, six years later, the program has grown to include eleven elementary schools, more than 120 trained volunteers, and 450 registered children. During that time, Ian Thomas, creator of the program and PedNet's Executive Director, has encountered and surmounted most of the challenges and barriers to building a sustainable Walking School Bus program: how to recruit volunteers, whether to do background checks, most effective ways to market the program, building community buy-in, addressing liability concerns, and turning programmatic success into policy change.

During this one hour webinar, in addition to sharing these best practices, Dr. Thomas will describe a promising strategy for effectively and inexpensively establishing programs in new communities.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011
10:00am – 11:00 am Pacific time zone
Register now: http://bit.ly/fFciXE

Childhood obesity linked to neighborhood social and economic status

Seattle—Children in King County, Washington, are more likely to be obese if they live in socially disadvantaged neighborhoods. This is according to a team of researchers at Seattle Children's Research Institute, the University of Washington (UW), and Group Health Research Institute. Social Science & Medicine e-published the research this week in advance of printing it.

“Children are raised not only at home but also in their community." ~ lead author H. Mollie Greves Grow, MD MPH, assistant professor of pediatrics, UW, Seattle Children's, and Harborview Medical Center.

“Childhood obesity is not just a family problem, but a larger community and societal problem,” Dr. Grow added. “A disadvantaged environment can set families up for ill health, and it’s unfair to blame them for not taking enough ‘personal responsibility’ to manage their weight. We don’t yet know all of the factors that may create disadvantage, but we know it is present and associated with higher obesity.”

(June 11, 2010) More...

Rising obesity rates are dangerous for adults and children

In King County, nearly one in three children in middle and high school is overweight or obese and that number is growing. About 55% of King County adults are either overweight or obese (2009). These rates are even higher in low income communities and communities of color, an outcome largely due to the poor relative health of the communities that these populations reside in. 

Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death. Being overweight or obese leads to many health problems, such as Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, “adult” diseases now affecting children.

Sugar-sweetened  beverages are a major contributor to obesity and poor health

Children who drink two or more sugar-sweetened beverages a day are more likely to be overweight than those who consume healthier alternatives such as milk or water.Enough with the scary headlines...join our campaign and help end childhood obesity within a generation.

Let's Move Seattle!

Calling all volunteers!  Please sign up TODAY at:  http://tinyurl.com/LetsMoveSeattle

Nudging Grocery Shoppers Toward Healthy Food

Some grocery stores are using the same sensory marketing tricks to change people's buying habits that big food companies and restaurants have used for years. These new marketing tools can also promote public health. 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131074210

Serve milk and water rather than sugar-sweetened beverages

For families with milk allergies, you can make a rich and creamy alternative milk with raw almonds and a good blender. Here's how:

All-Natural Almond Milk

• 1 1/2 cups of raw almonds, soaked in water overnight
• 4 cups of filtered or spring water
• 3-5 dates (optional)

Blend 1 ½ cups of raw almonds that have been soaked overnight in 4 cups of water. Blend with dates if you like your milk with a hint of sweetness. Strain once to remove almond granules. The result is a delicious, creamy milk that is free of harmful vegetable oil, concentrated sweeteners, and the problems associated with cow’s milk and soy. It can be stored safely for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.