Research

Study: Kids Will Eat Healthy School Food

According to Dr. Benjamin Senauer and two other agricultural economists, in a study published in the December issue of the Review of Agricultural Economics, school children will eat healthy school foods.

Click here for a report on this study.

New CDC Study Finds No Increase in Obesity Among Adults; But Levels Still High

Obesity Among Adults in the United States--No Change Since 2003-2004. Data Brief Number 1, November 2007. 8 pp is the latest analysis based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, conducted by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. The study found:

--More than one-third of U.S. adults -– over 72 million people -- were obese in 2005-2006; no statistically significant change from 2003-2004.

--Adults aged 40-59 had the highest obesity prevalence compared with other age groups.

--There were large race-ethnic disparities in obesity prevalence among women.

Click here to read the full report.

Food Insecurity and Overweight among Infants and Toddlers: Insights into a Troubling Linkage

July 12, 2007, Child Trends

"Periodically not having enough to eat, having a diet that is inadequate, and worrying about being able to afford the amount and type of food that a household needs are all markers of food insecurity...Overweight, paradoxically perhaps, is one of the negative consequences that may result when very young children experience food insecurity, though research findings have been inconsistent and inconclusive."

Click here to read the entire research brief.

American Medical Association Releases Recommendations to Fight Childhood and Adolescent Obesity

June 8, 2007

CHICAGO- "Today the Expert Committee on the Assessment, Prevention, and Treatment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity released recommendations for the management of overweight and obese children." For more on these experts' opinions click here.

Could Behavioral Economics Help Improve Diet Quality for Nutrition Assistance Program Participants?

As obesity has come to the forefront of public health concerns, there is growing interest in finding ways to guide consumers' food choices to be more beneficial for their long-term health. About one in five Americans participates in at least one nutrition assistance program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The study uses behavioral economics, food marketing, and psychology to identify possible options for improving the diets and health of participants in the Food Stamp Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs.

Click here to learn more.

Special Journal Issue on Childhood Obesity

Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics

Click here to view this free issue.

Parental Time, Role Strain, and Children's Fat Intake and Obesity-Related Outcomes

University of Baltimore

Released Wednesday, June 14, 2006

This study uses a unique dataset to examine parental influence on children's dietary intake and whether or not the children will become obese. The study shows that household income, parents' time spent with children, and parents' work experiences significantly affect children's energy and fat intake and obesity-related outcomes. For example, the more time mothers spent with their children, the lower the children's Body Mass Index (BMI) was. On the other hand, the more time fathers spent with their children, the higher the children's BMI was. And the more time both fathers and mothers spent with their children, the higher their children's fat intake (as a percentage of energy) was. In general, mothers tended to have a greater effect on their children's dietary intake than fathers did. Both parents seemed to influence children ages 9-11 more than they did children ages 13-15.

Click here for more information.

"Do Public Food Programs Make Children Overweight?"

University of Maryland, Department of Family Studies researchers Drs. Sandra L. Hofferth and Sally Curtin say they do not.

Click here to read more.

For more information, contact Bonnie Braun

Last updated: 12/16/2007