School Nutrition Policies, MA on my mind

As I mentioned on Twitter this morning, french fries appear to be the lunch food of choice for students in a popular school in Queens, New York, according to the New York Times. That probably doesn't surprise anyone who works in a school or has visited one during lunch. Unfortunately, I have not.

Nonetheless, my memories of school lunch are not much different. I remember tater tots and pepperoni hot pockets being standard fare. By the time I graduated, there was a salad bar in place; it was not very popular. Occasionally, I opted for the food served as part of the National School Lunch Program (spaghetti comes to mind) and on days of cross-country meets I habitually ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which was a pretty good choice thinking back on it.

Is Extreme Public Health the Answer?

I'm taking off my "reporter" hat for a moment to share some public health talk I've been mulling over lately. You know the uproar over health care reform and the public option? Of course you do! How about the fury and debate over the state and national initiatives to tax soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages? Or the resistance of businesses, "consumer groups" (i.e. backed by the food industry), and others to put nutrition information on menus and point-of-purchase sales in fast food chains and restaurants?

The list goes on and on of public health initiatives that create waves in the ocean endearingly called "status quo."

My question: do public health initiatives have to be extreme to be an effective solution? (I'm going to leave extreme undefined for the moment...but basically, I'm talking about "extreme" as to the degree it causes public reaction, corporate unrest, and resistance). Or, as I asked my mom, "Do you have to be a wacko to get the job done?" I was being facetious, kind of.

My response after much reflection: Yes.

Let's embrace it!

Going to the Park? Walk or Bike!

Just in case you need a little nudge to ride your bike to work or walk to get groceries here's further evidence that "active" transit (i.e. walking or biking to get somewhere) is associated with better health. In the latest American Journal of Preventive Medicine one year of data was taken from a 20-year follow-up study to assess whether walking or cycling compared to only using a car to get around was associated with Body Mass Index (BMI), waist circumference, and fitness.

News Flash

The intersection between the environment and public's health has made recent headlines in the New York Times. I wonder if it is any surprise that conditions related to CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) are implicated in at least one of the public health disasters. Here two of the most interesting (and disturbing) stories I read recently:

• Health Ills Abound as Runoff Fouls Wells - The New York Times reported today that excess cattle manure is contaminating local water systems. The pollution is resulting in a wide-range of health problems including diarrhea, ear infections, and skin rashes. The problem appears to be in the enforcement of laws already on the books. Local communities need more safety mechanisms in place to identify and prevent possible sources of water contamination and to act quickly once a problem is identified.



• Clean Water Laws Are Neglected, at a Cost in Suffering - A Sunday special in the New York Times investigates the problem of contaminated drinking water, beginning with a community in coal country West Virginia. Though legislation is in place (the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act) both are systematically violated resulting in dental caries, skin rashes, and likely far greater medical conditions. Again, regulators are overwhelmed, but urgent action and redress is needed.
  
  
  

Soda Tax To Combat Obesity, Will it Work?

Cigarettes are taxed, alcohol is taxed, why aren't soft drinks taxed?

One huge reason for the dirth of legislation levied against unhealthy foods including sodas is the enormous lobby of the food industry in DC and across the country. Whenever there is serious consideration of restricting access to unhealthy foods (such as in public schools) there is enormous resistance. Big Food has lots of money to manipulate (I mean influence) public opinion so that there is not enough momentum and public support for anti-junk food policies. The sad story is that public health professionals can have nearly the same trouble improving access to healthy, nutritious foods in these same places!!

The lead story of the Business section of today's New York Times was "Tempest in a Soda Bottle: Proposed Tax on Sugary Beverages Debated." It discusses the increased political open-mindedness to the idea of a tax on soft drinks and sugar-sweetened beverages in the US and the likely resistance to such a proposal.

Here's why I think this could be a good idea.

Smoking Outside, A Public Health Threat?

The New York Times has been impressing me recently with its coverage of public health issues. Sure, health care reform makes that coverage pretty much a no-brainer, but today's front page article on the proposal to ban smoking outdoors in New York City definitely peaked my interest. It is part of the "Take Care New York Plan 2012" and includes other public health proposals in addition to banning smoking in public parks and beaches.

New York City has long been an early adopter of public health initiatives, such as eliminating trans-fat from prepared foods, improving menu labeling in fast food chains to include calorie counts, and banning smoking from nearly all indoor spaces.

The proposal, launched by the NYC health commissioner, Dr. Thomas A. Farley, to ban smoking from public, outdoor spaces is not without precendence, as the article points out:

"A number of municipalities — particularly in California — have banned smoking at outdoor parks, playgrounds and beaches. In 2007, Los Angeles extended its smoking ban, which already covered beaches and playgrounds, to include municipal parks. Later that year, Chicago banned smoking at its beaches and playgrounds, though smoking is still allowed in many parks."

Nonetheless, there is much controversy over the need for such a ban. What are its objectives?

Low-Fat Diet Disaster

Saturated fat has historically been the "number one enemy" of dietitians and nutritionists. For decades, popular thought was that the most effective way to lose weight or to prevent weight gain was to eat a diet low in fat. This approach to weight loss and management has had disastrous consequences; however, because of its subsequent timing with the explosion of refined carbohydrates (as opposed to whole grain foods) and sugary beverages.

Indeed, there is little, if no, evidence that eating a diet low in fat will result in weight loss in the long-term. We discussed eating patterns, such as a low-fat diet, in a class I am taking this semester on Obesity Epidemiology with Frank Hu, author of the book by the same title.  In it, he reviews the most current research on the causes of obesity and the health consequences of obesity. Oh, and you thought obesity was itself a disease.