Issue 5-November 16, 2009
Archived Issues 
Dear Colleagues,
The extensive media coverage on swine flu seems to have crowded out news about an even more lethal epidemic – obesity. While the most recent high-end estimate of mortality due to the H1N1 virus is striking (6,100 deaths for the period between April and mid-October of 2009), it is dwarfed by the number of deaths due to poor diet and physical activity, which was recently estimated at 400,000 per year. The other big health news story – health care reform – has largely missed a key point. Prevention efforts are needed to address this obesity problem if there is ever to be a hope of reducing health care costs.
Image provided by the IOM and NRC. I recently had the privilege of serving on the Institute of Medicine’s panel on Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity. Charged with expanding upon two previous IOM panels citing potential of local government efforts to combat childhood obesity, this panel worked to produce a practical policy guide for local officials...Continued
Many school personnel score low grades on diet
November 16, 2009
Elementary school personnel in Jefferson Parish have poor diets and high rates of overweight and obesity, according to results from the ACTION Worksite Wellness Trial, a study led by Dr. Larry Webber, who is affiliated with the Prevention Research Center at Tulane University. Roughly 6.7 million school personnel across the nation are responsible for educating children about healthy habits, but little is known about whether these role models practice the behaviors they teach. The health of school employees impacts students’ health and the educational environment, and yet limited evidence-based, health promotion programs for school staff exist...Continued 
Radio contest passes health promotion mike to local youth
November 16, 2009
Recognizing the power of peer advice, the Prevention Research Center (PRC) at Tulane University launched a radio contest to pass the mike from adults to youth to give them a chance to “Be Heard” on the topic of physical activity. The message from adults that youth need to be physically active is loud and clear, and yet according to the 2009 Louisiana State Health Report Card, only 25 percent of Louisiana high school students meet the requirements for physical activity...Continued Mark your calendars:
Communications Seminar Series:
"Spreading the word: Viral media tools for health promotion"
Karis Schoellmann, MPH
Project Director, Partners for Healthy Babies
Clinical Assistant Professor, TSPH
Jenny Dalton,Brand Design Producer, Trumpet Advertising
Friday, November 20, 2009
12 p.m. to 1 p.m., Tidewater Building, Room 1825
Co-sponsored by the Tulane PRC and the Maternal and Child Public Health Leadership Training Program.
PRC Seminar Series:
"Building the national movement for healthy food and activity environments"
Leslie Mikkelsen, MPH, RD
Managing Director, Prevention Institute
Friday, December 4, 2009
12 p.m. 1 p.m. in Tidewater Building, Room 1825
Refreshments will be served. Tidewater is located at 1440 Canal St., New Orleans, LA 70112.
"Soft Drink Manufacturers Lobby Against Soda Tax"
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
11.13.09
"Another cause of obesity: The bacteria in your gut?"
Time
Alice Park
11.12.09
"New Estimate: Excess Body Fat Alone Causes 100,000 Cancers in U.S. Each Year"
Media-Newswire American Institute for Cancer Research
11.11.09
"Lack of Exercise May Not Explain Teen Obesity"
ABC News
11.10.09
"Obama’s chef and policy wonk"
Mother Nature Network
E.B. Solomont
11.5.09
"Can exercise keep a spring in our step longer"
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Glen Duncan
11.4.09
"Pentagon: A third of U.S. youth are too fat, sickly to serve"
USA Today
11.4.09
"U.S. Cities Make Efforts to Increase Availability of Nutritious Foods"
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
11.3.09
"Amid national concern over childhood obesity, Metairie school takes to the tracks"
The Times-Picayune Barri Bronston
11.1.09 Click here to sign up for "Fitting New Orleans." | 
