First-ever quantitative data about the toll of BPA exposure

From Health Affairs: The risks of exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA) have been well-known for some time. While exposure to BPA in the United States affects an estimated 92.6 percent of Americans over the age of five, there are gaps in the knowledge of the health consequences of BPA exposure. A new study, Further Limiting …

Food and Nutrition Creating Equal Opportunities for a Healthy Weight

New from the National Academies Press: Creating Equal Opportunities for a Healthy Weight is the summary of a workshop convened by the Institute of Medicine's Standing Committee on Childhood Obesity Prevention in June 2013 to examine income, race, and ethnicity, and how these factors intersect with childhood obesity and its prevention. Registered participants, along with …

Sugar-sweetened beverages playbook

One of the 4 legal tools discussed in the current issue of the CDC's Public Health Law News, is a Sugar-sweetened beverages playbook from ChangeLab.  The playbook offers a sequence of ten strategies—from public education campaigns to restrictions on the availability of sugar-sweetened beverages—communities and states can use to reduce consumption of SSBs. Find more …

Chats on change: Using social media to reduce childhood obesity

From the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ): Join us on Twitter Tuesday, September 10, at 3:00 pm ET for a live TweetChat with Dr. Victoria Rogers, Director of the Kids CO-OP at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center. We will discuss how the Let’s Go! program has worked to slow …

CDC Finds Childhood Obesity Declined

Here’s some good news from the CDC to start your day! According to a report released earlier this month, childhood obesity among low income preschoolers is on the decline. Here’s the breakdown: Nineteen states saw decreases. Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, South Dakota, and the U.S. Virgin Islands showed the greatest decreases Twenty states and …

Are Doctors Nicer to Normal-Weight Patients?

From the New York Times: Are doctors nicer to patients who aren’t fat? A provocative new study suggests that they are — that thin patients are treated with more warmth and empathy than those who are overweight or obese. For the study, published in the medical journal Obesity, researchers at Johns Hopkins obtained permission to record discussions …

Overweight and Lower Mortality?

Reposted from CNN.com: Being overweight linked to lower risk of mortality By Laura Blue, TIME.com, January 2 STORY HIGHLIGHTS People who are overweight but not obese may live longer than those of normal weight The findings come from a review of research papers covering nearly 3 million people Researchers say it's possible that overweight and …

Obesity in young is seen as falling in several cities

From the New York Times: After decades of rising childhood obesity rates, several American cities are reporting their first declines. The trend has emerged in big cities like New York and Los Angeles, as well as smaller places like Anchorage, Alaska, and Kearney, Neb. The state of Mississippi has also registered a drop, but only …

F as in Fat Report

The ninth edition of the F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future report by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) was just released showing that more than 35% of adults are obese and the percentage of obese children has also increased; in 1980, the obesity rate …

Study links healthy weight in children with strict laws on school snacks

From the New York Times: Adolescents in states with strict laws regulating the sale of snacks and sugary drinks in public schools gained less weight over a three-year period than those living in states with no such laws, a new study has found. The study, published Monday in Pediatrics, found a strong association between healthier …