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Other HEAT Resources Healthful Messages, Wrapped in Fiction (Posted 11/04/08) At the Annual Scientific Conference of the Obesity Society this year in Phoenix, researchers from the Duke Medical School presented some remarkable findings on “Lake Rescue” (B*tween Productions, 2005), a Beacon Street book that focuses on the struggles of an overweight girl named Chelsea Briggs. To read more, click here. Health Education via Animated Eagle Book Series (Posted 9/17/08) Animated versions of the award-winning 'Eagle Book' series are available through CDC-TV. Originally designed to promote culturally-based information about diabetes prevention, physical activity, nutrition and healthy eating among Native American children, the videos may appeal to children and parents of all cultures and represents CDC's efforts to prevent diabetes. For more information, click here. Childhood Overweight and Obesity Prevention Initiative:
"Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future” (Posted 8/1/08) HRSA is promoting grantee participation in an initiative being sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. The Childhood Overweight Prevention Program from NIH, We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition) offers material to help reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity by enabling primary care providers and other health care professionals to better prevent, identify, and treat children with this condition. For additional information, visit http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/ Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Report (Posted 7/2/08) On October 26, 2006, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt announced that the Department would develop comprehensive guidelines, drawn from science, to help Americans fit physical activity into their lives. The first step in the development of the Physical Activity Guidelines was the establishment of the independent Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, which was charged to review existing scientific literature to identify where there was sufficient evidence to develop a comprehensive set of specific physical activity recommendations. The Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Report, 2008 is now available. It is the product of the 13-member Advisory Committee and more than 30 additional consultants. You can access the report by clicking the Report link at http://mail.odphp.info/t/284448/1050747/2094/538/. NAPNAP's HEAT Initiative highlighted in the new knowledge path, Nutrition: Children and Adolescents. (Posted 4/23/08) NAPNAP’s HEAT Initiative is highlighted in the Maternal and Child Health Library newly released knowledge path, Nutrition: Children and Adolescents. The knowledge path offers a guide to recent resources that analyze data, describe public-awareness campaigns and other health-promotion programs, and report on research aimed at identifying promising strategies for improving nutrition and eating behaviors within families, schools, and communities. Separate sections identify resources for professionals, resources for families, and resources on specific aspects of child and adolescent nutrition. Topics include child care and early childhood education, food marketing to children, food safety, food-security and nutrition-assistance programs, and school-based nutrition education and food services. View the path online at http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_overweight.html. Healthy Habits for Life: Child Care Resource Kit (Posted 2/29/08) The Healthy Habits for Life: Child Care Resource Kit, featuring characters from Sesame Street, is designed for pre-school providers to engage children in making healthy lifestyle choices. For more information, click here. Discovery Health's CME Program (Posted 12/17/07) Discovery Health's newest CME Program "Healthy Steps to Treating Childhood Obesity", aired for the first time on Sunday, December 16, 2007, and will air several times in 2008 on the Discovery Channel. For more information about taking the CME course online to earn contact hours and see when the other shows will air, click here. F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, 2007 (Posted 10/26/07) Adult obesity rates rose in 31 states last year, according to the fourth annual F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, 2007 report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH). Twenty-two states experienced an increase for the second year in a row; no states decreased. A new public opinion survey featured in the report finds 85 percent of Americans believe that obesity is an epidemic. TFAH recommends a comprehensive approach for helping individuals make healthy choices including support from families, communities, schools, employers, the food and beverage industries, health professionals, and government at all levels. To read more, click here. SNA Report Shows Progress in Implementation of School Wellness Policies (Posted 9/19/07) This month marks the one-year "birthday" of the adoption of 15,000 local school wellness policies nationwide - but few cupcakes will be served to recognize the occasion as many policies are affecting food choices far beyond the cafeteria, including foods served at classroom parties. A report released by the School Nutrition Association (SNA) tracks implementation progress of wellness policy topics including nutrition education, physical activity and nutrition guidelines. From Cupcakes to Carrots: Local Wellness Policies One Year Later is compiled from a survey of 976 school nutrition directors conducted in May 2007. Take a Look Inside We Can!" Families Finding the Balance: A Parent Handbook (Posted 8/10/07) We Can! or "Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition" is a national program designed for families and communities to help children maintain a healthy weight. The program focuses on three important behaviors: improved food choices, increased physical activity and reduced screen time. Learn practical tips to help your family find the right balance of eating well and being physically active to maintain a healthy weight. This useful easy to read handbook, available in English or Spanish, explains the concept of Go, Slow and Whoa foods, proper portion size, and how to make screen time active time. Expert Committee releases recommendations to fight childhood and adolescent obesity (Posted 8/10/07) The Expert Committee on the Assessment, Prevention and Treatment of Child and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity released recommendations for the management of overweight and obese children. The committee, made up of representatives from fifteen health professional organizations, was convened by the American Medical Association (AMA) and co-funded in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To view these recommendations, click here. The 2006 Trust for America's Health report, F as in Fat (Posted 08/01/07) According to an August 2006 report from Trust for America's Health (TFAH), adult obesity rates continued to rise in 31 states over the past year while government policy efforts have consistently failed to provide viable solutions to the growing obesity crisis. In nationwide rankings, Mississippi was the heaviest state, with an adult obesity rate of 29.5 percent, followed by Alabama and West Virginia. Colorado was the least heavy state, with an adult obesity rate of 16.9 percent. Obesity rates remained the same in 18 states and Washington, D.C. All states fail to meet the national goal of reducing adult obesity levels to 15 percent or less by the year 2010. F as in Fat, 2006 offers recommendations to curb the obesity crisis, including a 20-step action plan for stakeholders to address the obesity epidemic's health burden and financial costs. To read more, click here. June is National Dairy Month (Posted 6/5/07) Dairy consumption is crucial to a healthy diet, and is one of the food groups of which children are not getting enough. You can encourage young people to get the vitamins and nutrients that they need for optimal learning and growth. Action for Healthy Kids' Partner organization, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's (NICHD) Milk Matters Campaign, offers information and tools for parents, teachers, mentors and caregivers to help young people get the amount of calcium they need. Click here to learn more about the NICHD Milk Matters campaign. Click here for additional resources including the USDA's MyPyramid For Kids, Eat Smart, Get Moving from the School Nutrition Association, and the 3-A-Day Dairy campaign. Resource Focuses on Child Weight, Nutrition, & Exercise (Posted 4/17/07) A web-based survey and registry is collecting information about populations, methods, funding and outcomes being used by organizations and programs working on child obesity. The Shaping America's Youth (SAY) Survey, part of a broader initiative aimed at improving American children's nutrition and exercise, is sharing collected information in the form of a searchable, national registry of programs to be used by health professionals. The goal is identifying best practices and promoting a professional dialogue on preventing and addressing youth nutrition, weight problems and physical inactivity. To participate, or to use the registry and related resources on the site, go to http://www.shapingamericasyouth.org/. New Poll Reveals Perceptions of Obesity (Posted 2/15/07) Research!America and The Endocrine Society recently released the findings of a new national poll focusing on Americans' perceptions of obesity. According to the poll, the public sees obesity or being overweight as the most important health issue for U.S. children. More than a quarter of Americans (27%) named obesity as the top health issue for kids, followed by lack of health care/insurance (16%) and nutrition/unhealthy diet (9%). Americans are divided on whether addressing obesity is an individual or societal issue. According to the poll, 52% think obesity is a public health issue that society should help solve; 46% say it is a private issue that people should deal with on their own. To learn more about the poll and its findings,visit Research!America's Web site for the press release and poll data. Toolkit on Social & Emotional Child Development - Now available in Spanish (Posted 1/18/07) A Spanish-language resource is helping families and service providers from a range of disciplines as they support the social and emotional development of children. "What to Expect & When to Seek Help: Bright Futures Developmental Tools for Families and Providers," now available in Spanish, was developed by Bright Futures at Georgetown University and the National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health, with support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Each of the four tools included spotlights a developmental stage - infancy, early child hood, middle childhood and adolescence - providing information about development and parenting, as well as tips on when, where and how to seek help. Also included is a tool to help service providers create a referral network. To access this toolkit in both Spanish and English, go to http://www.brightfutures.org/tools/index.html.
Date Reviewed: 8/1/08
Date Revised: 11/4/08
Date Created: 
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