An interesting brief from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation discussing the new childhood obesity rates in the United States. Click HERE for the origianl report.

In recent years, the national childhood obesity rate has leveled off. However, some cities and states have reported modest declines in their rates, following peaks in the early 2000s.

• Several cities and states throughout the country have recently reported declines in their childhood obesity rates.
• The places that are reporting declines are those that are taking comprehensive action to address the childhood obesity epidemic.
• Despite signs of progress, socioeconomic, geographic, and racial and ethnic disparities in obesity rates are persisting in many places.

Now that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the controversial Affordable Care Act, the obvious two questions are 1) what does it mean for Americans and 2) when will it be implemented. Below are two articles that may help to answer those questions.

1) How the Affordable Care Act affects you (source: CBS Money Watch)

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or ACA, was upheld by the Supreme Court Thursday. Specifically, the high court ruled that the requirement that either individuals buy health insurance or pay a penalty is not a violation of the United States Constitution. But that doesn’t change the fact the law is a tangled mess of rules, regulations and policies

2) Health care changing and when (source: HealthCare.gov)

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act. The law puts in place comprehensive health insurance reforms that will roll out over four years and beyond, with most changes taking place by 2014. Others have already begun. Use this timeline to learn about what’s changing and when.

Hello readers,

I am participating in a health lifestyle course here at the University of Florida. So a quick background on the course…it’s titles “Preventative Health Experiences” and focuses on teaching college students how to self-monitor and make adjustments in their overall health. The goal, of course, is to prevent the onset of chronic conditions by educating students early.

One point that the students requested were dietary and physical activity references to compare their health lifestyles too. So, below are the two national guidelines, one for nutrition and the other for physical activity. Anyone can use them as a reference for themselves and as a guide to help make recommendations to family, friends, or future patients/clients.

1) 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: This page will link you to the overview of the guidelines. You can also assess the FULL 112 page report from here.

2) Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans: You can get the condensed version of the recommendations for both aerobic and muscle strengthening activities here.

The IOM has just released the following REPORT in addressing the U.S.A’s obesity epidemic. The following is an excerpt from the IOM’s webpage.

“Two-thirds of adults and one-third of children are overweight or obese. Left unchecked, obesity’s effects on health, health care costs, and our productivity as a nation could become catastrophic.

The staggering human toll of obesity-related chronic disease and disability, and an annual cost of $190.2 billion for treating obesity-related illness, underscore the urgent need to strengthen prevention efforts in the United States. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation asked the IOM to identify catalysts that could speed progress in obesity prevention.

The IOM evaluated prior obesity prevention strategies and identified recommendations to meet the following goals and accelerate progress

• Integrate physical activity every day in every way
• Market what matters for a healthy life
• Make healthy foods and beverages available everywhere
• Activate employers and health care professionals
• Strengthen schools as the heart of health

On their own, accomplishing any one of these might help speed up progress in preventing obesity, but together, their effects will be reinforced, amplified, and maximized.”