Boarding Schools for Girls

Obese girls who read a novel about an overweight teen's struggle lost more weight than did girls who read a "weight neutral" novel or did not read any novel at all, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics.

• Researchers divided 33 obese girls into three groups.
  
• One group read a novel about an overweight girl who goes rock climbing, hiking, and canoeing after being ridiculed by her classmates.
  
• The other two groups either were not assigned to a novel or read one that did not address weight issues.
• There was a small but significant difference in the number of pounds lost by those who read the novel that addressed being overweight, said Dr. Sarah Armstrong, director of the Healthy Lifestyles Program at Duke University.

"This provides hope to parents that something as simple as an inspiring novel can help kids make healthier choices and lower their risk of illness," Dr. Armstrong said.

Labels: weight loss, obesity, weight-gain, reading

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A study led by Dr. Kassandra L. Munger of the Harvard School of Public Health has revealed that girls who are obese during adolescence may be at increased risk for developing multiple sclerosis (a disorder of the central nervous system) as adults.

A Nov. 20 Reuters Health article included the following information about the findings:

Munger and her colleagues studied women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study and Nurses' Health Study II over a 40 year period. Participants answered questions throughout the study about weight, height, body size, smoking and exercise habits, and disease status.

Among the more than 200,000 participants in the two groups, there were 593 cases of MS.

The study found no association between MS risk and having a large body size at ages 5 and 10 or as an adult. However, obesity at age 18 was associated with a greater than twofold increased risk of MS and a large body size at age 20 was associated with a 96% increased risk of MS, the study team found.

Labels: health, obesity, girls, adolescents

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An inspection of 70 public schools in Los Angeles found that all of them had vendors selling some form of junk food. Thirty of the schools in the L.A. Unified School District allowed street vendors to sell ice cream and other treats to students, and 30 had vending machines on their premises with sugary, high fat foods.

The inspectors, working between September 2008 and January 2009, noted that many school fund-raising groups were also selling candy and other junk foods to students.

The regular consumption of junk food has been identified as a factor in the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States. The effects of childhood obesity may include a wide range of social, emotional, and physical problems, including predictions of a lowered life expectancy for severely overweight young people.

For these reasons, many public schools, private schools, and boarding schools have instituted anti-junk-food policies to help encourage healthy eating among students and staff.

Labels: school, obesity

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About one in 200 young Americans, or 367,000 people, are now vegetarians, according to the latest government statistics.

The Center for Disease Control surveyed 9,000 parents of children under age 18 to come up with those figures.

The majority of youthful vegetarians say that they chose that lifestyle because they want to protect animals from cruelty or slaughter.

"Compassion for animals is the major reason," said Richard Schwartz, president of the Jewish Vegetarians of North America. This motivation is especially prevalent among young vegetarians who own pets.

One common concern of parents and doctors is that young vegetarians may not consume sufficient amounts of protein, vitamins, and minerals. Another worry is that the children will rely too heavily on pasta, sweets, and sodas to obtain calories.

Labels: health, obesity, vegetarians

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Girls are at greater risk for obesity because they spend more free time at school "standing and talking," while boys play active games like football, according to a study from Great Britain.

Dr. Ricky Ridgers of Liverpool John Moore's University found that girls spend six percent less time in vigorous play than boys do. She and others believe that a practice of women skipping exercise begins in childhood and continues throughout their lifetimes.

"Our study shows boys and girls play differently," Dr. Ridgers said. "Girls tend to spend time in smaller groups and engage in verbal games, conversation, and socializing. Most boys play in larger groups, which lend themselves more to physically active games."

Labels: health, obesity, activity

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Losing weight is more important in preventing diabetes than eating a low-fat diet, according to a new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Lesley Tinker studied 48,000 overweight women ages 50 to 79 and found no difference in the rates of Type 2 diabetes among those on low-fat diets and those who did not diet. However, women who lost weight reduced their risk for diabetes.

The critical issue, Dr. Tinker said, may be caloric intake.

Labels: obesity, overweight, diabetes

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Girls who are obese as teenagers may suffer from infertility as adults, according to a study in the journal Endocrine Today.

Researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine asked 3154 women ages 42 to 52 years old to tell them how heavy they were during high school. Adolescent obesity was associated with an increased likelihood of childlessness.

"Perhaps young obese girls will listen more carefully to advice about weight loss and exercise if they learn about the potential harmful effects of excessive weight," said lead author, Alex Polotsky, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology.
 

Labels: obesity

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 0 Comments