Middle school health study

Intervention helps at-risk middle-school students stay healthy
Middle-school students are healthier when schools intervene in their exercising and eating, according to results of a recent study. Intervention methods used over a three-year period were found to reduce obesity rates among minority and low-income middle-school students, who are often at risk for long-term health problems.
National Institutes of Health. (2010). Healthy study.
http://www.healthystudy.org/

Obesity studies

Sufficient sleep may prevent childhood obesity
Each additional hour of sleep may cut a child's risk of obesity by 9%, according to a Johns Hopkins study. Children who slept the least were 92% more likely to carry extra pounds compared to children who got sufficient shut-eye.
Chen, X., Beydoun, M., & aWang, Y. (2008, Feb.). Is Sleep Duration Associated with Childhood Obesity? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Obesity.


BMI insufficient for determining weight-loss needs
A new report indicates that body mass index may not identify all patients who are carrying too much body fat. Measurements such as waist size and total percentage of fat are better for identifying those at risk from weight-related problems and in need of weight-loss recommendations and interventions, the study found.
Colombo, O., et al. (2008). To treat or not to treat: comparison of different criteria used to determine whether weight loss is to be recommended. Nutrition Journal, 7(5).

Body image study

Primary school pupils should be taught how the media use airbrushing to manipulate pictures of women, according to a report revealing that girls as young as seven are worried about their bodies,linking appearance to happiness and self-esteem.
Even at seven, they believe girls who are slim and pretty are more likely to be happy, well-liked, friendly and clever, while those who are overweight or less attractive are more likely to be unhappy, lonely or victims of bullying. Negative comments and teasing by family members about appearance and weight are one of the most damaging influences on girls' self-image, according to the research, which calls on parents and others not to criticise looks and to offer reassurance instead.
Girl Guiding UK. (2007). Girls shout out! Under ten and under pressure. London: Girl Guiding UK.
http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/

Exercise and academics study

Exercise improves decision-making, possibly math skills
Daily exercise for three months can improve the brain function of overweight children, according to a new study of 200 overweight, inactive 7- to 11-year-olds that was presented this week at The Obesity Society's annual scientific meeting. "We hope these findings will help persuade policymakers, schools and communities that time spent being physically active enhances, rather than detracts from learning," said the study's lead investigator, Dr. Catherine Davis.
https://my.mcg.edu/portal/page/portal/News/archive/2007/3D1600D219D147BAE0440003BAD149FF

Obesity studies

Study: Obese girls far less likely to attend collegeObese girls are half as likely to attend college as girls of normal weight, according to a new University of Texas at Austin study. In high schools where overweight girls comprised 20% of the student population, however, obese girls had normal odds of college attendance.
Crosnoe, Robert. (2007, July). Gender, Obesity, and Education. Journal of Sociology, 241-260.

Study: Overweight teens already at risk for heart disease
Overweight 8-year-olds are seven times more likely to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and elevated blood sugar and insulin by the time they are 15, according to an Australian study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. "The consequences of childhood obesity are devastating," said lead author Dr. Sarah P. Garnett. Scientific American(9/21)

Study: U.S. adults, children are gaining weight
Some 25 million U.S. children are now obese or overweight, three times the rate in 1980, a new Trust for Americas Health study found. Adult obesity also is growing in most states, with Mississippi at the top of the list for the third consecutive year, with 30.6% adults reaching obese levels.
Scientific American/Reuters (8/27)

Study: Weight affects school attendance
Children may add twice as many pounds during summer vacation, according to a new study of kindergarteners and first-graders. And that may mean they miss more school. Obese and overweight children are more likely to be absent from school than healthy children, a study of students in Philadelphia found. The absences are probably more related to psychological and social issues than health ones, one expert says. The study found fat is a better predictor of fourth- to sixth-grade absenteeism than any other factor. The Washington Post/Associated Press (8/10) and The New York Times (8/21)

Banning cars around schools would encourage walking, reduce obesity
The Institute for European Environmental Policy blames over-use of cars for fuelling the "twin crises" of global warming and an obesity epidemic. Researchers found the amount of walking fell from two hours a week to just one when households started using a car. They say banning cars around schools would instil good habits early on and call for "concerted action". The IEEP study says that if people walked one more hour a week - the typical difference between those who own a car and those who do not - it could mean a reduction in average weight of up to two stone in a decade.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6942945.stm

Report: Overweight children face near-universal bias
Overweight children face bias from their parents, teachers and other children as young as age 3. Even with 50% of North American children expected to be overweight by 2010, the stigma does not seem to be lessening.
Puhl, R., & Latner, J. (2007). Stigma, obesity, and the health of the nation's children. Psychological Bulletin, Vol 133(4), 557-580.

Obesity studies

Studies: Myriad factors push obesity rates higher
Too much junk food, TV and a lack of physical-education classes or other exercise make it difficult for U.S. youth to stay at a healthy weight and likely contribute to skyrocketing rates of childhood obesity, according to studies published in a special supplement of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (Oct, 2007), 33(4), A1-A6, 269-358. Minorities and children in poor neighborhoods are particularly vulnerable, the studies found.

Study: Obesity programs may also curb eating disorders
Middle school girls who attended an obesity-prevention program were less likely to develop bulimia, according to Harvard School of Public Health researchers. "We are hopeful that carefully designed health promotion programs like this one may help us prevent both eating disorders and overweight at the same time," said S. Bryn Austin, an assistant Harvard School of Public Health professor.
ScienceDaily (9/3)

Study: Obesity spreads among friends
Obesity is "socially contagious," with people being 71% more likely to become too fat if their same-sex friends become obese, according to a new study. The correlation appears unaffected by geographic barriers, with the pattern manifesting itself whether friends live next door or 500 miles away from one another.
New England Journal of Medicine (vol 357, 370-379, 2007)

Study: Obese girls far less likely to attend college
Obese girls are half as likely to attend college as girls of normal weight, according to a new University of Texas at Austin study.In high schools where overweight girls comprised 20% of the student population, however, obese girls had normal odds of college attendance.
Sociology of Education, July, 2007