Obesity
Clinically Severe Obesity Rates Climb
Clinically severe, or morbid, obesity entails being 100 or more pounds overweight. A recent report suggests that rates of morbid obesity have been rising faster than those of moderate obesity.
Kids’ Fitness Interventions Failing
Childhood obesity, inactivity and poor food choices are taking a toll on today’s youth. In some cases, structured exercise is encouraged for weight management. Unfortunately, this approach doesn’t seem to be working.
Preadolescents, Obesity and Exercise
Preadolescence is a time of major change and growth, bringing psychological, physical and social shifts for boys and girls alike. Caught between the carefree days of childhood and the first throes of being a teenager, “tweens” (roughly aged 9–12) are a force to be reckoned with. Like many other populations, preadolescents are suffering from lack of exercise, which threatens to chart a course toward obesity and disease.
Education Is Key in Eradicating the Obesity Epidemic
Robyn Stuhr is the sports medicine program director at UC San Diego Health System’s department of orthopaedic surgery. She also serves as an American Council on Exercise (ACE) subject-matter expert and media spokesperson.
Friends’ Impact on Weight Loss
Friends may have our backs, but their health and fitness habits can literally shape our backsides. How do friends help—or hurt—your healthy habits? Learn more from Martina M. Cartwright, PhD, RD, adjunct faculty member at the University of Arizona, independent biomedical consultant, author and nutrition counselor in Scottsdale, Arizona.
A New Approach to Nutrition and Obesity Research
People are profoundly tuned in to the fact that obesity and all the chronic disease that goes with it are plaguing much of the world. But, why, with such hyperawareness plus so many research developments on the nutrition and obesity fronts, do we still seem to be getting fatter and sicker?
Modeling Lifelong Healthy Habits for Kids
Dr. Muth is a pediatrician, registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in sports dietetics (CSSD). Muth also serves as an ACE Senior Fitness Consultant and subject matter expert, regularly contributing to ACE blogs and to the ACE Certified News monthly newsletter. Her first book, Eat Your Vegetables and Other Mistakes Parents Make: Redefining How to Raise Healthy Eaters, was published by Healthy Learning in May 2012.
ACE: As a registered dietitian and pediatrician, what would you say is the biggest challenge we face in overcoming the obesity epidemic?
Child Diabetes Rates Higher in China than in the United States
While rising rates of diabetes and prediabetes in U.S. children have been causing alarm in recent years, youth in China appear to be faring far worse.
For Chinese teenagers the rate of diabetes is nearly four times higher than it is for their counterparts in the U.S., say researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who examined data from the 2009 China Health and Nutrition Survey.
Weight Issues Among Older Females
When it comes to eating disorders and body image issues, teenagers or young women might come to mind. However, a new study shows that these problems are also common among older women.
Motorized Transportation and Weight Gain
It’s well known that sedentary living is associated with health risks. Now, researchers have been looking at motorized transportation dependence and its correlation with body fat and waist circumference.
Food Journals Can Help Women Lose Weight
It’s not exactly a new strategy for aiding weight loss, but if you aren’t currently using food journals with clients who are trying to shed pounds, recent research suggests that perhaps you should be. Scientists from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center summarized the following from their study, which appeared in the July 16 online edition of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: women who want to lose weight should faithfully keep a food journal and should avoid skipping meals and eating in restaurants—especially at lunch.
Two New Anti-Obesity Drugs Approved by FDA
In late June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new prescription weight loss drug for the first time in 13 years. Lorcaserin—to be marketed in the U.S. under the name Belviq®—was approved as an addition to a reduced-calorie diet and exercise for chronic weight management, according to an FDA press release. On its heels in mid-July came a second approval—for Qsymia™—another prescription drug for weight loss.
Body Mass Index Underestimates Obesity Levels
Recently, body mass index (BMI), which has been widely considered an effective measure of body fat, has come under scrutiny. According to researchers from Weill-Cornell Medical College in New York, the data produced from BMI measures may grossly underestimate a person’s true fat mass.
Teenage Overweight and Obesity
In another study published in the February 20 issue of the Medical Journal of Australia (2012; 196 [3], 189–92), researchers explored the prevalence of overweight and obesity among students aged 12–17. They also wanted to understand factors associated with carrying the extra weight.
Pregnancy Outcomes Among Obese and Overweight Women
In a study published in the February 20 issue of the Medical Journal of Australia (2012; 196 [3], 184–88), researchers looked at pregnancy outcomes among obese and overweight women.
The scientists analyzed data from 75,432 women who gave birth at the Mater Mothers’ Hospital in Brisbane, Queensland, between January 1998 and December 2009. Approximately 32.7% of the women were classified as overweight or obese. The researchers noticed that women with higher body mass indexes (BMIs)—and their children—tended to have more health-related issues than those with “normal” BMIs.
Church-Held Weight Loss Programs Successful for African American Women
When you’re developing weight loss programs for niche populations, it may be important to understand the role that environment plays in successful outcomes.
One example comes from the Journal of Black Psychology (2012; 38 [1], 81–103). The study’s primary goal was to determine compliance among 55 overweight or obese African American women entering obesity treatment. For 13 weeks, 36 of the women were involved in a program held in churches; the other 19 attended a program in a university setting. Each woman was weighed and completed a physical fitness test.
Exercise = Happiness
When you’re developing weight loss programs for niche populations, it may be important to understand the role that environment plays in successful outcomes. One example comes from the Journal of Black Psychology (2012; 38 [1], 81–103). The study’s primary goal was to determine compliance among 55 overweight or obese African American women entering obesity treatment. For 13 weeks, 36 of the women were involved in a program held in churches; the other 19 attended a program in a university setting.
3 Thinking Shifts to Help Your Overweight Clients Get on Track
If you’ve ever gotten your car stuck in the snow or the mud, you know how maddening it can be to try to find that tiny bit of traction you need to get going again. Despite knowing you’re only digging a deeper hole, you press the gas pedal to the floor, expecting to move forward. The wheels just spin. Being hopeful and having a strong desire to be free don’t fix your problem. Clearly, a tow chain would change everything.
Transit Agencies Consider Wider Seats
As waistlines continue to grow, public transportation providers have begun considering whether to adjust their regulations to improve safety and vehicle efficiency.
A New Tack on Obesity
It might be time to shift the goal for obesity treatment away from just weight loss and body mass index to include fat reduction and a better understanding of nutrition science, say the authors of a Journal of the American Medical Association study (2012; 307 [1], 47–55).