Title: Current Issues in Research and Practice

Author:

Section/SPIG: Food and Nutrition

Issue Date:


  • Obesity too Expensive for States to be Left Untreated

    • A new study by RTI International and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in this month's edition of Obesity Research details the financial burdens placed on state medical programs as a result of the obesity epidemic.

    Obesity increased dramatically during the late 1990s for Americans of all ages, with nearly one-third of all adults - almost 59 million people - now classified as obese. This represents a nearly a two-fold increase in the number of obese Americans in the last two decades. Obesity is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) >30 kg/m².

    This paper provides the first state-by-state estimates of total, Medicaid and Medicare obesity-attributable medical expenses. State level estimates range from $87 million in Wyoming to $7.7 billion in California.

    The research is designed to assist policy makers in determining how best to allocate funding to help reduce obesity.

    For more information see The North American Association for the Study of Obesity Web site at <www.naaso.org>.

    The article, "State-Level Estimates of Annual Medical Expenditures Attributable to Obesity" by Finkelstein et al. (Obes Res.2004; 12: 18-24) is available on the web at: <http://www.obesityresearch.org/cgi/content/full/12/1/18>.

  • FDA Advises Consumers to Stop Ephedra Use

    • On Dec. 30, 2003, the HHS Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a consumer alert on the safety of dietary supplements containing ephedra and notified manufacturers of its intent to publish a final rule on dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids. The rule will state that dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids present an unreasonable risk of illness or injury. The rule would have the effect of banning the sale of dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids when it becomes effective, 60 days following publication.

  • US Senate Passes IMPACT Act

    • The "Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act," or IMPACT Act is a comprehensive bill aimed at reducing obesity, particularly among children and adolescents was passed by the Senate on December 3, 2003. One provision of the legislation is to instruct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report on what research has been conducted on obesity treatment and prevention, what has been learned from this research, and what future research should be conducted. Corresponding legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives earlier this year. The bill still awaits House debate.The bill would
    expand an existing grant program to train health profession students in the treatment of obesity and create state and local community grants for preventive programs that encourage physical activity and better
    nutrition. A similar bill is making its way through the House. To read the bills, go to <http://thomas.loc.gov/> and search for "S. 1172" and "H.R. 716."

  • Special Report: Healthy Schools for Healthy Kids

    • Two national polls show that teachers and parents overwhelmingly agree that schools should provide daily physical education and access to healthy foods as part of the solution to our nation’s childhood obesity problem. That is a key finding of the study, Healthy Schools for Healthy Kids, funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The complete report, detailing two years of interviews, school site visits and analysis of federal, state and local policies, can be accessed on the RWJF Web site at:
    <http://www.rwjf.org/news/release/healthyschools>.