Stop the Insanity! One Year Later And Nothing Has Really Changed

In its fourth report on obesity in the United States, the Trust for America's Health finds that the obesity epidemic continues unabated and calls for a comprehensive approach to help individuals make healthy choices - Robert Woods Johnson Foundation.

Unfortunately this report (F as in FAT) does not come as a surprise to me and my partners - and the saddest thing about this report is that the findings are so very predictable. There ARE programs that can make a long term sustainable difference in the fight against obesity, but FAR TOO MANY organizations would prefer to continue throwing unimaginable dollars at researching the cause and effect of obesity, rather than steer those dollars into developing innovative and effective solutions. I wrote about this issue in my very first blog (Childhood Obesity - Who's Going To Step Up To The Plate?) and the Trust for America's Health only proves what we've been saying for some time now. Many of the organizations and individuals who have the funds to make a difference are not willing to take risks on innovative and potentially groundbreaking ideas. It's a lot easier (and safer) to continue to research the cause and effect of obesity than to actually take risks on programs and ideas that could/would have a positive and sustainable impact on the problem. That kind of strategy would require these organizations to step way outside their comfort zone and live for a while on the edge - the incubator of great innovation! Until that happens, you might as well change the date on this year's report and reprint it again next year - nothing will have changed other than the amount of funds contributed to researching what we already know - that obesity is a real health threat, it's getting worse, and it needs to be stopped.

But wait! There is hope. I am convinced that those of us willing to go it alone and live on the edge everyday will play a significant role in the solution to the obesity epidemic. We are the innovators, the risk takers, the visionaries committed to making a real and sustainable difference in the lives of those who need it. Personally, my partners and I have have much invested in the success or failure of our creation (Get Fit FOCUS) and we are committed and motivated to build the most effective and sustainable program possible. Perhaps with a little luck, one or more of these organizations will find their way to join us somewhere near the edge. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I won't be holding my breath. Let's hope I won't have to keep my fingers crossed too long.

In good health,

Phil Christian
LifeStyle Media Group

The Food Fight Band Wagon and Questionable Spending

Last week, the Wall Street Journal ran an article titled "Watching Food Ads on TV May Program Kids to Overeat," which was a brief overview of a study conducted by researchers in Liverpool, England. The results of this study should surprise no one, but it is sure to fuel the debate about advertising unhealthy foods to young people.

In a nutshell, the study found that children between the ages of 5 and 11 ate more calories after watching a television advertisement for food, than they did watching advertisements of non-food items. The 5-to-7 year olds ate 14% - 17% more calories and the 9-to-11 year olds ate 84% to 134% more. Additionally, the study found that the older age group was more likely to eat sugary and high-fat foods as part of their increased calorie intake. All this to suggest that kids eating habits are influenced by the advertisements they see on television. Is this a surprise to anyone and did a study really have to be done to prove it?

When are educated professionals going to stop spending money to identify things we already know and/or can do little to change - and instead start putting those funds behind serious early intervention and prevention programs? After last week's AP report on the US Government's spending of $1 billion on ineffective nutrition education programs, there should be warning signals sounding in every corner of every foundation, organization, agency and business that it's time to start putting money behind innovative programs that will empower our young people with the knowledge to make healthy lifestyle decisions. Until that day arrives, I believe efforts to curb childhood obesity and related diseases will continue to be fought on a losing battleground.

Television advertisements ARE NOT making our kids obese! I have two boys who are both members of the tween market (8 and 11 year olds) and I frequently check in on what they are watching on TV. To the best of my knowledge, I have not seen a single food advertisement suggesting that they eat an entire pack of cookies or consume an inordinate amount of any one product - at any one time. The minute I witness such an advertisement, I'll join the bandwagon advocating severe restrictions on junk food advertising to kids - but I highly doubt that will ever occur. It is OK to have a few cookies and potato chips if they are consumed in moderation and as part of a healthy diet. So, don't blame the food companies if kids are eating whole packs of cookies, chips and drinking 2 liters of soda while watching a television program - it's not their fault. Food companies may be easy targets and have big bulls-eyes painted on their corporate logos, but at the end of the day it's not their responsibility to control the nutritional intake of our children. We, as parents, must assume that responsibility despite our hectic lifestyles.

However, food and beverage companies can be part of the solution by taking an active role in helping educators and parents develop meaningful and effective health education programs. There should not be a fight over whether or not food advertising should be banned from children's television, but rather an aggressive partnership between all interested parties to better educate and prepare our young people to live a healthier lifestyle. That's the real issue, but the question is will the groups and organizations on the bandwagon be willing to step outside their comfort zones to partner with the very people they have long painted with a bullseye?

We (LifeStyle Media Group) have an educational program called Get Fit FOCUS that we want to provide to schools for free. It's built on a web 2.0 platform and is designed to provide young people, parents and teachers with a rich interactive healthy lifestyle educational experience. However, it's not inexpensive to develop and we will absolutely need several funding partners (private, public, corporate) to help with its distribution and continued development. But our partners will expect something in exchange for their support. If we put their corporate brand on our educational product or use one of their food products to study nutritional labeling or percentage of daily caloric intake, isn't that in itself advertising?

The fight over food advertising to young people will not end anytime soon, but the spending on programs with questionable value must stop now. I would also respectfully suggest that the bandwagon reevaluate its focus on food company advertising to young people and consider channeling their good intentions into helping get effective health education programs into our schools. Working together, we'll get there a whole lot faster!

In good health,

Phil Christian

A Community United! (Shape Up Somerville)

Innovation comes in many forms and this week a small city suburb of Boston received much recognition for their approach to creating a healthier community. Some may call it innovative, others may call it common sense, but few (if any) have been able to make the commitment Somerville, MA made to improving the health of their residents - especially their young people. The program (called: Shape Up Somerville) targeted 1,178 1st-3rd graders with the general community as a secondary audience. Its primary mission was to create healthy eating and physical activity messages and increase opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating, specifically fruits, vegetables, legumes, low-fat dairy and whole grain products throughout the children’s day. The program was made possible by a three year $1.5 million research grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and another smaller grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For those of you counting beans, the program had a per student cost of approximately $1,273, but when you consider the community as a whole the cost per individual is reduced to $19.50. So, did the investment pay off? The Tufts University research team responsible for securing the grant, preparing the community for the program and evaluating its results believe it did.

Led by Christina Economos, from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, the Tufts University team created a community-based environmental approach to obesity prevention for the Somerville students and their community. The team focused on the following areas: School Food Service, In-school Curriculum, After School Curriculum, Community Outreach, Restaurants, Safe Walking Routes to School, School Nurses, Pediatricians, and Policy Changes. Taken from an article published by MSNBC, Economos says, "What is different about this intervention is that we engage the entire community and we intervened before school, during school, after school, in the homes throughout the community and really changed the world that the children lived in." (article) The researchers found that schoolchildren in Somerville gained a pound less than their counterparts in two nearby control communities. The results of the study were published last week in the journal Obesity. Another popular journal, the Wall Street Journal, featured the Shape Up Somerville program prominently on their front page and had this to say about the program, "The Somerville program, designed primarily by Dr. Economos and fellow researchers at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition, offers a surprising blueprint. It didn't force schoolchildren to go on diets. Instead, the goal was to change their environment with small and inexpensive steps. Dr. Economos, a specialist in pediatric nutrition and the mother of two school-age children, has long believed that the battle against obesity can't be fought at the dinner table alone but requires social and political changes."

Although few, if any communities will be fortunate enough to receive a $1.5 million grant to implement a program such as Shape Up Somerville, the hope is that the lessons learned will inspire others to take action and improve on the blueprint that now exists. Shape Up Somerville has proven that a community united can make a positive difference in the health of their residents - now it's up to others to do the same for their community. Are you one of those others? Are you willing to step outside your comfort zone and take a risk for the benefit of a community? Will community businesses and political leadership do the same? Peter F. Drucker said "What you have to do and the way you have to do it is incredibly simple. Whether you are willing to do it is another matter." Only time will tell...

In good health,

Phil Christian

LifeStyle Media Group

Childhood Obesity and Prevention - who's going to step up to the plate?

Childhood obesity has been in the news a lot lately - and it should be! It's a serious issue that if not addressed will have significant consequences in adding to the spiraling health care costs, shortened lifespans and additional economic burdens on governments, communities, businesses and citizens. Some have tried to estimate the economic impact, but the truth is no one really knows what the true cost of obesity and related health diseases will be to the United States or any other nation. The only thing for certain, is that the cost will be immense. We already know that the annual cost to our health care system for obesity and related diseases is approximately $123 billion - and that number is several years old. Since then, tens of millions of dollars have been spent by foundations, government agencies and private investors to research the cause, extent and prognosis for the "obesity epidemic." Quite frankly, I'm tired of reading the countless studies telling us that obesity is real and that we need to do something about it. I don't mean any disrespect to our esteemed researchers who have provided countless volumes of important data, but I think most Americans will agree that obesity is a real and serious threat to the health or our nation.

So what are we doing to prevent this growing epidemic? Sadly, not enough. I was stunned to read in a recent news article by George Will profiling Tommy Thompson (former US Secretary of Heath and Human Services and current republican presidential candidate) that the US government spends 93% of its health care budget treating disease and only 7% on prevention - and that's for ALL sickness. According to the article, Thompson claims: "In seven years, health care will devour $4 trillion annually, which will be 21 percent of the gross domestic product. It is, he argues, irrational to spend just 7 percent on prevention of sickness and 93 percent on treatment. Seventy-five percent of health spending goes to treat the 125 million Americans who have one or more chronic illnesses, such as Type 2 diabetes, which is related to the epidemic of obesity. In five years, or sooner, such diabetes may involve 62 million Americans and cost $400 billion. Sixty percent of these cases could, he says, be prevented by walking 30 minutes a day and losing 5 to 10 percent of body weight." Here's the link to the article. Those are powerful words from someone who knows the facts. If what Secretary Thompson claims is true, why is much of American (and the world) still not hearing the warning? The encouraging news is that some are listening and taking action, but much, much more must be done. Last month the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation received a lot of attention with their public commitment of $500 million to fund prevention related programs over the next five years. What programs are going to receive this funding and how effective they will be is yet to be determined, but give RWJ credit for taking an actionable stance against obesity. And kudos to our friends down under who last week announced their commitment to spend almost $900 million to tackle preventable illness and head off the linked epidemics of diabetes and obesity in their country.

There are others taking action as well, but sadly there are even more who want to talk the talk without having to walk the walk. It's going to take a herculean effort and a lot of "outside the box" thinking by innovative and creative people - along with some willing risk taking by the organizations and individuals with the funds. I'll be keeping my eyes and ears open for such innovative and risk taking endeavors and sharing my thoughts on them in the weeks ahead. So check back often and don't hesitate to share your innovative program with me as well.

In good health,

Phil Christian
LifeStyle Media Group