NEWS: Healthy Life Styles: Staying Active and Healthy
 
  September 4 2009 Study: Children, Teens Need More Fruits, Vegetables than Juice, French Fries
 Newsletter, The Ohio State University, College of Education and Human Ecology
Children and teenagers tend to rely too much on juice for their fruit intake and on french fries for their vegetable intake, according to a new College of Education and Human Ecology study.
 
  July 28 2009 Costs of Treating Obesity Soars
 Wall Street Journal, page D3
A new study has shown that the medical costs of treating obesity-related diseases have doubled since 1998 to $147Billion in 2008 making obesity the single biggest reason for the increase in health care costs! Obese people spent $1429 more per year in 2006 than people of normal weight and comprise 34% of the US population. "Obesity and with it diabetes are the only major health problems that are getting worse in this country, and they're getting worse rapidly" Thomas Frieden, Director CDC.
 
  March 10 2009 Physically fit Texas students outscore peers on state tests.
 Houston Chronicle/The Associated Press.
"Increased exercise programs in schools produces physically fit students. Now there is hard evidence to link fitness to=2 0academic success, better attendance and a marked decrease in the level of disciplinary problems. The study has shown that cardiovascular health helps the brain function more efficiently and enhances its ability to learn." By APRIL CASTRO Associated Press Wri ter © 2009 The Associated Press
 
 January 2 2009 Columnist calls on Obama to wage war against obesity
 The Washington Times
"In a commentary in the Washington Times, syndicated columnist Morton Kondracke writes that "fatness is killing Americans by the millions," and is "driving up health costs." He points out that, "according to the Almanac of Chronic Disease, unless something is done, by 2015, three-quarters of US adults will be overweight and 41 percent, obese." Along with the rise in obesity, the "incidence of Type 2 diabetes...has doubled over the past three decades," and there has also been "an upsurge in incidence of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, strokes, and gall bladder ailments." In fact, the nonprofit Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, says that "the doubling of obesity accounts for nearly 30 percent of the rise in healthcare spending since 1987." Were "the prevalence of obesity...the same as it was in 1987, the group said, healthcare spending per capita would be 10 percent less than it is, saving $200 billion." Therefore, Kondracke urges President-elect Barack Obama to wage war against obesity". AMA Morning Rounds, Jan 2, 2009
 
 October 2008 Weight Maintenance Program Helps Our Children Stay Thinner
 The Journal of the American Medical Association
A little help may go a long way in helping overweight children maintain weight loss. Families, schools, communities, and food marketers should also be part of the solution, according to an editorial published with the study.
 
 June 2008 It's Not Just Genetics
 Time Magazine
The environment makes it easier or harder for healthy choices to be the default choices. The geography of childhood obesity is largely the geography of poverty. There's no pretending that the problem--and resultant disparities in income, education and opportunity--will be easy to address, but there's no denying that it's imperative that we try
 
 Sept 18 2007 EXERCISE AIDS BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS
 USA Today
“The more you do the more you improve. Good news for diabetics: Both aerobic exercise and strength training improve blood sugar levels. And lots of both provides the best results, a new study shows.” Page 9D
 
 July 26 2007 OBESITY CAN RUN IN SOCIAL CIRCLES
 USA Today
“Study: Peers affect ideas on fat and thin. Obesity is contagious. One person’s obesity can significantly increase the chance that his or her friends, siblings, and spouse also will become heavy…”
 February 10 2006 TO LOOSE YOUR GUT, WALK
USA Today Weekend, February 10-12, 2006 FitSmart by Jorge Cruise

A study from Duke University Medical Center found walking or jogging 11 miles a week prevents visceral fat gain.

 
 August 2005 EXPLORING THE BICYCLE - BRAIN CONNECTION: HOW EXERCISE BOOSTS COGNITIVE FUNCTION
Wall Street Journal, Page D1
"A 2005 study in the Journal of Exercise Physiology looked at how 884,715 fifth-, seventh-, and ninth-graders scored on a state mandated fitness test in California. Then it compared those numbers to the reading and math performance of those students on a standardized achievement test."

"Results indicate a consistent positive relationship between overall fitness and academic achievement" said the study. "As overall fitness scores improved, mean achievement scores also improved".
 
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