Health Equity: 05/11/10

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

[EQ] Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation

Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation

US White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity

Report May 11, 2010

Available online [PDF 124p.] at: http://bit.ly/8YoxsT

“…….The childhood obesity epidemic in America is a national health crisis. One in every three children (31.7%) ages 2-19 is overweight or obese.1 The life-threatening consequences of this epidemic create a compelling and critical call for action that cannot be ignored. Obesity is estimated to cause 112,000 deaths per year in the United States,2 and one third of all children born in the year 2000 are expected to develop diabetes during their lifetime.3 The current generation may even be on track to have a shorter lifespan than their parents.4

Along with the effects on our children’s health, childhood obesity imposes substantial economic costs. Each year, obese adults incur an estimated $1,429 more in medical expenses than their normal-weight peers.5 Overall, medical spending on adults that was attributed to obesity topped approximately $40 billion in 1998, and by 2008, increased to an estimated $147 billion.6 Excess weight is also costly during childhood, estimated at $3 billion per year in direct medical costs.7….

Table of Contents
The Challenge We Face

I.Early Childhood

A.Prenatal Care

B.Breastfeeding

C.Chemical Exposures

D.Screen Time
E.Early Care and Education

II.Empowering Parents and Caregivers

A.Making Nutrition Information Useful

B.Food Marketing

C.Health Care Services

III.Healthy Food in Schools

A.Quality School Meals

B.Other Foods in Schools

C.Food-Related Factors in the School Environment

D.Food in Other Institutions

IV.Access to Healthy, Affordable Food

A.Physical Access to Healthy Food

B.Food Pricing

C.Product Formulation

D.Hunger and Obesity

V. Increasing Physical Activity

A. School-Based Approaches

B. Expanded Day and Afterschool Activities

C. The “Built Environment” .

D. Community Recreation Venues

Conclusion

Summary of Recommendations

Endnotes

* * *
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[EQ] Tackling Chronic Disease in Europe - Strategies, interventions and challenges

Tackling Chronic Disease in Europe
Strategies, interventions and challenges

Reinhard Busse, Professor and Director of the Department of Health Care Management at the Berlin University of Technology, and Associate Head for Research Policy of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies.

Miriam Blümel, David Scheller-Kreinsen and Annette Zentner, research fellows at the Department of Health Care Management at the Berlin University of Technology.

World Health Organization 2010, on behalf of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

Full text of the book [PDF 750KB] [127p.] at: http://www.euro.who.int/document/E93736.pdf

“……..Chronic conditions and diseases are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in Europe, accounting for 86% of total premature deaths, and research suggests that complex conditions such as diabetes and depression will impose an even greater health burden in the future – and not only for the rich and elderly in high-income countries, but increasingly for the poor as well as low- and middle-income countries.

The epidemiologic and economic analyses in the first part of the book suggest that policy-makers should make chronic disease a priority.
This book highlights the issues and focuses on the strategies and interventions that policy-makers have at their disposal to tackle this increasing challenge.

Strategies discussed in the second part of this volume include
(1) prevention and early detection,
(2) new provider qualifications (e.g. nurse practitioners) and settings,
(3) disease management programmes and
(4) integrated care models.
But choosing the right strategies will be difficult, particularly given the limited evidence on effectiveness and cost/effectiveness.

In the third part, the book therefore outlines and discusses institutional and organizational challenges for policy-makers and managers:
(1) stimulating the development of new effective pharmaceuticals and medical devices,
(2) designing appropriate financial incentives,
(3) improving coordination,
(4) using information and communication technology, and
(5) ensuring evaluation.
To tackle these challenges successfully, key policy recommendations are made.

The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies is a partnership between the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, the Governments of Belgium, Finland, Norway, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden, the Veneto Region of Italy, the European Investment Bank, the World Bank, the London School of Economics and Political Science and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.





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