Showing posts with label public health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label public health. Show all posts

Monday, June 15, 2009

public healthy: parental eating habits don't mean squat

Interestingly, parents' eating habits dont' influence kids' eating behaviors nearly as much as one would think, according to some epidemiologists from Johns Hopkins. and that other factors- such as TV or advertising- may play a larger role in the kind of diets kids eat. This study made me a little sad, first because I think it's kinda depressing to think that the influence of TV might outweigh parents, who are actually giving the kids food. (Although this also makes me wonder- how do parents' TV watching habits impact kids? Maybe there's some relationship there, too, since parents are the ones spending the cash in the grocery store).

The study also says that very few parents actually did have healthy diets, and that their kids were more likely to eat healthy too. This makes sense: after all, what's the point of teaching kids about the food pyramid if Mom and Dad are chowing down on Mickey D's?

Lately I just keep wondering, why is it so complicated for adults (and in turn, their kids) to eat healthily? For all our good intentions, it just seems like we make this unnecessarily hard on ourselves. Someone needs to apply Occam's razor to this situach, and instead of bombarding us with endless conflicting studies, literature, education, and magazines, simplify the problem....so we can find, if not an easy solution, a livable and effective one. A person shouldn't have to have an advanced degree in nutrition or a loaded wallet to eat well each day.

(image from http://www.turnoffyourtv.com/ )

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

sartorially smart- and swine-flu free

I was so excited to find this article in the New York Times today devoted to two of my loves: public health and fashion!




http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/masks-theres-something-in-the-air/?ref=fashion





Seems like the newest Fall trends include plenty of artfully draped masks, scarves, and headgear...one of the World Health Organization's recommendations for preventing the swine flu. Considering epidemiologists are worried that the swine flue make an even more virulent resurgence this fall and winter, I think this could be the perfect combo of preventative medicine and fashion saavy. Who know fashion could be so functional?



Although, I don't know about you, but I find this particular fashion statement even scarier than the swine flu:




Yikes!