The report presents a mixed picture. Over the past 25 years, there have been notable improvements in child well-being in the group of countries examined in this report: steady decline in child mortality, overall reduction in adolescent suicide and increase in school completion rates. But the last five years have …
Several countries have used fi nancial incentives to encourage people to adopt healthier lifestyles with encouraging results. Now this approach has been suggested in a number of UK policy documents. But what is the evidence that it works? : a report.
Andy Redfern, co-founder of the website Ethical Superstore.com, has no illusions about consumers who claim to be green. "We had a rush last year on solar iPod charges . . . and most of them were going to Glastonbury," he says. Even if people who buy things with an environmentally …
A NATIONAL campaign to combat obesity by using sports equipment to reward children who exercise for at least an hour a day will be discussed this week when state and federal education ministers meet in Melbourne. Under the plan, which is being introduced in the ACT this year, all schools …
In India, thirty-five million people have diabetes—a number expected to more than double by 2025, disproportionately affecting working-age people. The economic impact of this increase could be devastating to India’s emerging economy. In this paper we discuss drivers of the epidemic, analyze current policies and practices in India, and conclude …
The government of South Australia is planning to ban junk food advertising in children's viewing times. The province's Health Minister John Hill says the government will implement a voluntary ban first, but if that does not curb the number of advertisements, then it will legislate. Hill says banning advertising of …
real flab: Researchers in the US have found that artificial sweeteners are more fattening than sugar as the consumption of the low-calorie substitutes makes it harder for people to control their intake, as well as body weight. They say sugar can actually be healthier than low-calorie sweeteners as it sends …
Low-level developmental lead exposure is linked to cognitive and neurological disorders in children. However, the long-term effects of gestational lead exposure (GLE) have received little attention. The goal of the research was to establish a murine model of human equivalent GLE and to determine dose
In this study, the authors attempted to find out whether excess weight in childhood was associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) in adulthood among a large cohort of persons born in Denmark between 1930 and 1976.
The final report of the third National Family Health Survey (nfhs-3) is out, but doubts remain whether it will be used to improve national health policies. Although 100-odd research papers have been written using data from the previous two national family health surveys
To examine the contribution of genetic factors to food choice, we determined dietary patterns from food frequency questionnaires in 3262 UK female twins aged 18 to 79 years. Five distinct dietary patterns were identified (fruit and vegetable, high alcohol, traditional English, dieting, low meat) that accounted for 22% of the …
In an effort to improve residents health, King County in the us state of Washington banned the use of artificial trans fats for cooking at restaurants. It also asked nutritional information of foods to be mentioned in restaurant menus. The ban comes into effect in May 2008. Restaurants have until …
Lifestyle diseases are snuffing out lives and taking away productive years. The future looks menacing as India modernizes at blinding speed. There are many ways to measure the wealth of a nation. Economists count the consumer mantra in today's India: make good money, get cars, get houses, get gadgets, get …
there have been umpteen theories on why South Asians are more at risk of developing vascular diseases. Now a team of Indian, Canadian, Scottish and Iranian researchers have come up with a new theory based on the pattern of fat distribution in the bodies of South Asians to explain why …
Childhood obesity has become a major societal concern. Rates of obesity among preschool and school-age children have more than doubled in the past three decades: 14% of 2- to 5-year-olds and 19% of 6- to 11-year olds are obese (Ogden et al. 2006; Ogden et al. 2002). The increased rates …
In November last year, Brazil's National Health Monitoring Agency launched a public debate on regulations that would ban radio and tv advertising for soft drinks and foods with sugar, saturated fat or salt. The government is expected to issue a decree on such measures in June. Brazil is not alone. …
phthalates are known endocrine disruptors. But for the first time, a study has shown that these compounds, commonly found in lubricants, pesticides, paints and cosmetics, can lead to abdominal obesity and insulin resistance in adult men. Researchers from the department of community and preventive medicine of the University of Rochester …
The uk's Committee for Advertising Practice (cap) on April 11 decided to widen restrictions on food and drink advertising which are targeting under-16-year-olds. The new rules will cover non-broadcast media also. The new restrictions state that products should not "condone or encourage poor nutritional habits or an unhealthy lifestyle in …
The third National Family Health Survey (nfhs) was carried out during 2005 and 2006. Preliminary findings reveal: Child n In Madhya Pradesh, 60.3 per cent of the children under three are underweight. This is the highest in the country: the problem exists in both urban and rural areas. 53.5 per …
research carried out by scientists of the Washington University, Missouri, usa, has shown that microbes are responsible for obesity. It's a good news, because the research indicates that manipulating microbes can control obesity. The study was published in the December 21 issue of the journal Nature (Vol 444 No 7122). …
Advertising is a pervasive influence on children and adolescents. Young people view more than 40 000 ads per year on television alone and increasingly are being exposed to advertising on the Internet, in magazines, and in schools. This exposure may contribute significantly to childhood and adolescent obesity, poor nutrition, and …
