I recently watched a TED presentation given by David McCandless and decided to check out his website – InformationIsBeautiful.net. I found THIS great interactive tool that weighs the strength of scientific evidence for various supplements that we consume daily.  Check it out!

1) Sociologists Weigh In On Obesity Increasing The Length Of Hospital Stays. (source: Science Daily)

Sociologists found a direct relationship between obesity and duration and frequency of hospital stays. Researchers found that, on average, obese persons stayed one and a half days longer than those with normal weight. Sociologists attribute the connection to disease–46 percent of obese adults have high blood pressure. Obesity is also linked to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke and other illnesses. The researchers also note that the longer a person has been obese, the more likely their hospital stay is lengthened.

2) Mapping US Engagement in Global Public Health (source: Policy Pointers/Kaiser Family Foundation)

This 137-page report (yes, it’s very detailed) represents an effort to map the United States government’s engagement in global health activities as a basis for analysis and to help decision makers understand the scope and organization of programs, policies, authorities, funding and coordinating mechanisms that comprise US support for public health abroad.

3) Fast Food Industry in India: A Study (source: Scribed)

1) Hans Rosling: Let my dataset change your mindset. (source: TED)

2) Hormone Therapy For Prostate Cancer Patients With Heart Conditions Linked To Increased Death Risk. (source: Science Daily)

Men with coronary artery disease-induced congestive heart failure or heart attack who receive hormone therapy before or along with radiation therapy for treatment of prostate cancer have an associated increased risk of death, according to a study in the August 26 issue of JAMA.

3) Global Health Facts. (source: Kaiser Family Foundation)

Global Health Facts (developed by the KFF) provides a slue of global health data. The website allows users to access accurate health data by country and create custom data sheets based on multiple health indicators.

1) Performance Incentives for Global Health: Potential and Pitfalls – Brief (source: Center for Global Development)

Rena Eichler and Ruth Levine summarize the findings of their book, Performance Incentives for Global Health: Potential and Pitfalls. Global health donors, like national governments, have traditionally paid for inputs such as doctors’ salaries or medical equipment in the hope that they would lead to better health. Performance incentives offered to health workers, facility managers, or patients turn the equation on its head: they start with the performance targets and let those most directly affected decide how to achieve them. Funders pay (in money or in kind) when health providers or patients reach specified goals. Evidence shows that such incentives can work in a variety of settings. But making them effective requires careful planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.

2) Global Nutrition Institutions: Is There an Appetite for Change? (source: Center for Global Development)

This paper describes the major institutional weaknesses in global nutrition and presents two recommendations to address the joint problems of incoherence, lack of institutional leaders, and persistent underfunding. First, within the domain of global health—where a significant part of the programmatic response rests—current and potential funding agencies at the international level could create a shared set of principles that lay out expectations for the coordination, coherence, and collaboration among institutions that currently do or might receive funding for global nutrition programs. Funders could collaborate to create a strong incentive for UN agencies, the World Bank, privately funded initiatives, and others to work together to fulfill key functions, including norm-setting, advocacy, scientific inquiry, program and technical support, capacity-building, and implementation at the national level. A second priority is for leaders in UN agencies to act on specific opportunities to elevate the agenda of nutrition security within the work of the UN System High-Level Task Force for the Global Food Security Crisis, which is stimulating and coordinating a response among the UN system and international financial institutions.

3) Developmental Perspectives on Nutrition and Obesity From Gestation to Adolescence (source: CDC, PCD)

Obesity results from a complex combination of factors that act at many stages throughout a person’s life. Therefore, examining childhood nutrition and obesity from a developmental perspective is warranted. A developmental perspective recognizes the cumulative effects of factors that contribute to eating behavior and obesity, including biological and socioenvironmental factors that are relevant at different stages of development. A developmental perspective considers family, school, and community context. During gestation, risk factors for obesity include maternal diet, overweight, and smoking. In early childhood, feeding practices, taste acquisition, and eating in the absence of hunger must be considered. As children become more independent during middle childhood and adolescence, school nutrition, food marketing, and social networks become focal points for obesity prevention or intervention. Combining a multilevel approach with a developmental perspective can inform more effective and sustainable strategies for obesity prevention.