Upgraded Playgrounds Could Make a Difference

DSC00959

“Our fitter kids are the envy of the planet.” That statement is quite a brag, a real attention-getter, and the title of a piece by Emma Palmer. Let’s see how they back it up. And who are they, anyway? They are the schools of South West Essex, formerly known as the Kingdom of Essex, now […]

Comfort Eating and Kelly Osbourne

British Cosmopolitan

Here is Kelly Osbourne, looking much different than she used to, on the cover of the February issue of British edition of Cosmopolitan, with an article inside, titled “I was an emotional eater.” Reporter Kara Gause says, [… S]he’s at once Madonna circa ‘Material Girl’ and her own mum, Sharon Osbourne, who has a penchant for […]

Childhood Obesity: More Things to Worry About

ambulance

We know that kids in America and all over the world are miserable about their excess body weight. We know that obesity in the young can lead to the early onset of severe medical conditions that used to mainly afflict adults. We know that, for many people, food addiction is as real and as dangerous as […]

The Childhood Obesity Perfect Storm, Part 7

Sunday's Storm

We have talked about the Childhood Obesity Perfect Storm before, and its various components such as the existence of cleverly engineered highly pleasurable foods, the ubiquitous availability of those foods to kids, and the way the products are marketed. We have discussed how stress and obesity go together like a horse and carriage, or, in […]

Childhood Obesity and Minority Groups

The Ribs

Full disclosure: John Foreyt, Ph.D., wrote the Foreword to Overweight: What Kids Say, and he’s a friend. In fact, so good a friend that in the Acknowledgements section of the book, Dr. Pretlow says, This book wouldn’t have happened were it not for the inspiration and encouragement of Dr. John Foreyt and his conviction that […]

Childhood Obesity Is Equal-Opportunity

Eating Navelle Nuts

About three months ago, President Barack Obama made a speech to announce the National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. He has mentioned the National School Lunch Program that currently helps keep 30 million American kids somewhat properly nourished so they can pay attention in school. This is a good thing. Some people feel that it could […]

Dr. Fitness & the Fat Guy

Dr_Fitness_and_the_Fat_Guy

Earlier this month, Dr. Pretlow was a guest on a radio show, where he talked about childhood obesity and his book, Overweight: What Kids Say. So you may be thinking, “Now, the Childhood Obesity News blog returns the favor by promoting Dr. Fitness & the Fat Guy.” Well, cut it out. The only reason you’re […]

The Childhood Obesity Perfect Storm, Part 4

The best thing one can do

We have talked before about the “perfect storm” that Dr. Pretlow identifies as the cause of the childhood obesity epidemic. It’s a witch’s brew of at least five elements: the high-tech production of hedonic foods; their availability to kids; the increased stress kids are dealing with; the ubiquitous marketing of comfort foods; and the decreased […]

Stress, Emotions, and Obesity

Berkeley Bowl

As we all know, the winter holidays are prime time for emotional turmoil. Being a fat kid is no fun at any season, and now the relatives who haven’t seen you all year come around and say, “My goodness, Johnny is certainly… growing.” Meredith Melnick of Time magazine has been examining a new report from […]

The Childhood Obesity Perfect Storm, Part 2

Another Storm Over Cayuga

We’re taking a closer look at the elements of the childhood obesity perfect storm, as Dr. Pretlow terms the combination of circumstances that all came together in just the wrong way. The first element is the use of high technology to develop and manufacture not only food, but pseudo-food, ersatz food, fake food, and food-like […]