Navigation Links
Studies: Children obese due to a host of unhealthy pressures
Date:9/25/2007

alth threat that soft drink promotions entail, and clearly the problem is most serious at the high school level," Johnston said.

Other studies by the U-M team found that physical education is lacking among older students. The average number of minutes students spend in PE each week drops from 172 minutes in 8th grade to 89 minutes in 12th grade, by which time only a third of students are even taking a gym class at some time during the school year.

Minority students from lower socioeconomic levels attend schools in which fewer students are involved in varsity sports, quite possibly because such schools have fewer resources available to offer a full range of sports and the exercise that goes with them.

The U-M studies also show evidence of unhealthy school nutrition policies and serious disparities across racial/ethnic lines and across different socioeconomic levels:

  • An article by Jorge Delva, U-M associate professor of social work, and colleagues documents the great extent to which children in school have access to high-fat, high- sugar and salty foods through vending machines and snack carts in schools

  • Racial and ethnic minorities have less access to healthier foods, such as low-fat snacks.

  • Students of low socioeconomic status have less access to healthy snacks at school than do students with higher socioeconomic status.

  • On average, Hispanic high school students are exposed to brand-name fast-food items at lunchtime twice as often as African-American and white students.

U-M's Patrick O'Malley and colleagues found that in the 10 percent of schools that have the least overweight students, one in 10 students are overweight, on average, whereas in the 10 percent of all schools with the greatest problem, fully 44 percent of their students are overweight, on average.

"Research is showing us that we have in our schools and communities a pe
'/>"/>

Contact: Joe Serwach
jserwach@umich.edu
734-647-1844
University of Michigan
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3 4

Related biology news :

1. Childrens taste sensitivity and food choices influenced by taste gene
2. $5.1 billion would save 6 million children
3. Transgenic goats milk offers hope for tackling childrens intestinal disease
4. Genetically engineered animals help in scientific research that may benefit children
5. Genes linked to treatment resistance in children with leukemia
6. Customized gene chip provides rapid detection of genetic changes in childrens cancer
7. Zinc supplements safe for HIV-infected children
8. Clinical trial to test stem cell approach for children with brain injury
9. Children overprescribed antibiotics for sore throat
10. UCLA imaging study of children with autism finds broken mirror neuron system
11. Environmental tobacco smoke linked to behavior problems in children and pre-teens
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email: