Nutrition Update | Eat Smart, Move More…NC

November 2006

News from the PAN Branch

The Eat Smart, Move More ‚Äì Maintain, Don’t Gain Holiday Challenge

The holiday season is almost here! And while ‚Äòtis the season to be jolly, for many of us it is also a season of busy schedules, crowded stores, and yes ‚Äì unhealthy eating habits. These habits, along with less time spent being active over the holidays, lead to added pounds to worry about each year when the ball drops in Times Square and we start making resolutions to undo all the damage of the previous seven weeks.

But it doesn’t have to be that way this year! With a series of feasts and celebrations just around the corner, now is the time to challenge ourselves to maintain our weight this holiday season.

The Eat Smart, Move More ‚Äì Maintain, Don’t Gain Holiday Challenge is for everyone and designed to help participants reach a goal of maintaining their weight during the holiday season. The Holiday Challenge will run Nov. 13 - Dec 31 (the week before Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve), and all Eat Smart, Move More partners are invited to promote the challenge with the populations with whom they work, and to participate themselves.
Starting October 31, those wishing to participate can sign up at www.MyEatSmartMoveMoreNC.com

The Holiday Challenge Components include:

Evergreen articles for local newspapers
A weekly electronic newsletter that will include strategies, tips, recipes and much more. Topics include:
Stress and relationship to eating - coping strategies
Strategies for eating healthy when entertaining or being entertained
Physical activity ideas
Cooking tips, recipes, healthy substitutions for baking
Healthy gift ideas
How to set achievable resolutions
A discussion board that will allow participants to chat with others across the state taking the Challenge and to share strategies and provide moral support. Participants can also ask the experts their questions.
Downloadable tools to help participants succeed (food diary, weight log, activity log, etc.)
A weekly interactive poll

If you are hosting local events in the coming weeks and would like to promote the challenge or if you would like additional information, please contact Bithiah Lafontant, Healthy Weight Communications Specialist, at Bithiah.lafontant@ncmail.net or call 919-707-5223.

New features Added to the Health Care Section of the ESMM…NC Web Site

In addition to the Patient Education Packets for Practitioners and the Big Five Prescription Pads, the following resources have been added for the Health Care setting they are Medical Nutrition Therapy Protocol for Children and Youth from the ECU, Pediatric Healthy Weight Research and Treatment Center, a link to the American Dietetic Association’s Nationwide Nutrition Network Resource and motivational interviewing tools and training for health care professionals. For more information on these available resources, visit this link.

County Rankings Released

As a companion piece to support the recently released Eat Smart, Move More County Profiles, the N.C. Division of Public Health has released a ranking of the state’s counties and regions by the percentage of residents who are either overweight or obese.

Using 2005 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), North Carolina counties or regions were ranked from highest to lowest according to the Body Mass Index (BMI) of those surveyed.

The rankings also list the counties and regions by the percentage of residents who eat five or more fruits and vegetables per day, and the percentage of who met physical activity recommendations.
For more information about the report go to this site.

Programs, Projects and Initiatives

African American Churches Eating Smart & Moving More (AACESMM) Resource Guide Trainings

Promoting health in NC African American churches through use of the AACESMM Guide will be featured in three regional trainings being conducted in November & December 2006 and February 2007. For more information about the trainings, please send inquiries to nc5aday@ncmail.net.

Success Stories

State Health Director Signs Physical Activity and Healthy Eating Policy

As part of the NC Department of Health and Human Services Health Smart staff wellness initiative, Dr. Leah Devlin led a large group of Division of Public Health employees on a walk for the inaugural Move More Monday at noon Monday, October 16th.

Devlin kicked off the event by signing the Division’s landmark Physical Activity and Healthy Eating policy, which adopted Eat Smart, Move More: North Carolina’s Plan to Prevent Obesity and other Chronic Diseases as the Division’s official plan to stem the rising tide of obesity.
For more information go to this site.

Featured Resources and Research

NIDDK Debuts Newly Designed Website

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) recently unveiled a new and improved website to offer researchers and people searching for health information more online information and resources in an easier-to-use format. The website redesign features better navigation and more user-friendly functions. Users who visit this site will now enjoy:

new “Scientific Areas” sections that enable researchers to find funding areas and opportunities in their field of interest with up-to-the-minute information about special NIDDK initiatives, upcoming conferences, research resources, and NIDDK staff contacts
easier navigation for finding information about the kind of science the NIDDK funds and instructions necessary for completing the grant application process
a stable health education section for the public with consumer-focused information about diabetes, endocrine and metabolic diseases, weight control, nutrition, digestive diseases, kidney and urologic diseases, and some blood diseases along with statistics, links to additional resources, Spanish translations, and access to NIDDK publications

Most of the website improvements occurred behind the scenes. “The new website now has a database-driven content management system, giving us much better tools to maintain it as a truly living document,” said Maren Laughlin, Ph.D., senior adviser for integrative metabolism at the NIDDK. “The new, improved site structure should allow website visitors to see more easily all that is available to them.” Laughlin served on the NIDDK 18-member content committee, one of two committees set up to rework the website’s extramural sections.

“Our website is truly the public face of the NIDDK,” said Acting NIDDK Director Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D. “It facilitates the conversation among biomedical researchers at our universities and small businesses, the American public, and the Institute. With this new website, we hope to invite greater participation and better serve our mission of improved health for the American people.”

Though already popular — a user survey of the health information section reported an 82 percent overall satisfaction rate for November 2005 through January 2006 — the NIDDK staff hopes the new website will attract even more visitors.

The recent facelift is phase one of an overall three-part plan to revamp the entire NIDDK website. While the first phase focused on site architecture and updated content, phases two and three will put design and color to work to give the home page and other parts of the site a fresh look. Final improvements include the addition of multimedia content and more database tools, such as an automated event calendar and organizational chart to make finding staff contact information easier. Professional and NIDDK web staff also will have new, interactive, electronic tools to help update and maintain the website.

The NIDDK, a component of the NIH, conducts and supports research in diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases, nutrition, and obesity; and kidney, urologic and hematologic diseases. Spanning the full spectrum of medicine and afflicting people of all ages and ethnic groups, these diseases encompass some of the most common, severe, and disabling conditions affecting Americans. For more information about NIDDK and its programs, see this site.

FNS National Nutrition Education Conference Highlights and Proceedings

The “Conference Highlights and Proceedings” from the second FNS National Nutrition Education Conference, held on September 12-14, 2005, is now posted on the FNS website at this site. This publication provides a summary of the plenary sessions and key workshops. We encourage State and local cooperators to use this resource to extend the lessons learned at this conference to those that were not able to attend. It can also be used as a resource to share information about the many successful FNS nutrition education initiatives across the country and as a tool to build partnerships and strengthen future nutrition education efforts.

NIH Funds Largest Long-Term Study of Health and Disease in Hispanic/Latino Populations

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and six other components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced contracts totaling $61 million over 6 and a half years to conduct the largest long-term epidemiological study of health and disease in Latin American populations living in the United States.

“The Hispanic population is the largest minority population in the United States, and it is expected to triple in growth by 2050. As this population continues to increase — and to experience varying rates of disease — it is vitally important to understand the risk factors and health behaviors that contribute to these diseases. The knowledge gained from this study will benefit not only Hispanic populations but will also enhance understanding of health and disease in other ethnic groups,” said NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D.

The Hispanic Community Health Study will assess such risk factors as diet, physical activity, obesity, smoking, blood pressure, blood lipids, acculturation, social and economic disparity, psychosocial factors, occupation, health care access, the environment, and medication and supplement use.

“There are many questions to answer,” says NHLBI Director Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D. “Why are Hispanics experiencing increased rates of obesity and diabetes and yet have fewer deaths from heart disease than non-Hispanics?…Only a long-term epidemiological investigation can answer questions like these and apply what is learned to prevent disease.”

“Since the risk of disease in a population can be influenced by different cultural and genetic backgrounds, it was important to have the study include population groups from several geographic areas and countries of origin and with residence in the U.S. for varying lengths of time,” said project officer Paul Sorlie, Ph.D., chief of NHLBI’s Epidemiology Branch.

The four field study sites awarded contracts are:

Bronx, NY (Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, Ph.D., Principal Investigator);
Chicago, IL (Northwestern University, Martha Daviglus, M.D., Ph.D., Principal Investigator);
Miami, FL (University of Miami, Neil Schneiderman, Ph.D., Principal Investigator); and
San Diego, CA (San Diego State University, Greg Talavera, M.D. M.P.H., Principal Investigator);

NHLBI awarded the contract for the study’s data coordinating center to the University of North Carolina (UNC), Chapel Hill (Lloyd E. Chambless, Ph.D., Principal Investigator).

According to the study’s deputy project officer, Larissa Avil√©s-Santa, M.D. of NHLBI’s Epidemiology Branch, there’s a good chance that, like other immigrant groups, as immigrant Hispanic populations adapt to the lifestyle and culture of the U.S., they will increase their risk of developing some chronic diseases. “We want to identify the changes in risk associated with immigration and acculturation to living in this country,” she said. “Then we will identify changes most strongly related to disease risk, and figure out how best to prevent those which are most harmful to health.”

For more information about NIH and its programs, visit this site.

Legislation

No update this month.

Grants/Awards

Allen Foundation Inc. Grants

The Allen Foundation Inc. is accepting applications for projects that primarily benefit programs for human nutrition in the areas of health, education, training, and research. Established in 1975 by agricultural chemist William Webster Allen and based in Midland, Michigan, the Allen Foundation makes grants to projects that benefit human nutrition in the areas of education, training, and research.

For more information go to this site

Grants Available to Promote Healthy School Communities

ASCD Announces Application for Grant Award Program

The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) will award 10 grants of $10,000 each to help schools and communities work together to create a healthy school environment. The selected schools will demonstrate the capacity for best practice in leadership and instruction, support comprehensive health programs, and create strong collaborations with other community institutions.

The grant program is part of ASCD’s worldwide effort to promote the integration of health and learning and the benefits of school-community partnerships. Grantees will assess the health-related aspects of the learning environment and use the results for school improvement and community engagement. They will participate in a study to identify the key indicators of success. School communities will receive technical assistance and become part of a Healthy School Communities network.

“ASCD is committed to supporting systemic healthy school reform. We are determined to assemble rigorous evidence that will enable us to track our progress and share resources, information, models, and key learnings that will significantly improve the future of children’s health and learning worldwide,” said Gene Carter, ASCD’s Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer.

Healthy School Communities sites will be selected in November 2006. The pilot grant is open to K‚Äì12 public and independent school communities in the United States and its territories, including Department of Defense Schools; Canada; the Caribbean; and the Asia Pacific region.

Grant applications are available online at this site and are due November 15, 2006. For more information about the application process, contact Theresa Lewallen, director, at 1-703-575-5622 or healthyschoolcommunities@ascd.org.

Training and Professional Development

Free Professional Continuing Education Credits

The Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion is offering free continuing professional credits for dietitians and dietetic technicians for reviewing certain MyPyramid materials on their Web site. See http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/CPEcredits.htm for more information.

Nutrition and Physical Activity Teleconferences

Every month, the CDC Division of Nutrition & Physical Activity (DNPA) sponsors a monthly teleconference on a variety of topics, but mostly dealing with nutrition &/or physical activity. The calls are scheduled the 2nd Thursday of each month from 1:30-2:30 p.m. The next call will be held on November 9, 2006. The topic will be “Active Options for Aging Americans: Using the Web to Increase Accessibility to Physical Activity Programs” presented by Serena E. Sanker, MS, Senior Program Associate, Center for Health Aging, National Council on Aging. Anyone who would like the handouts or participate in future calls please send an email to NC5ADAY@ncmail.net.

2007 National Health Education Conference & SOPHE’s 2007 Midyear Scientific Conference

“The Changing Face of Health Education and Health Promotion”
June 7-9, 2007
Seattle, Washington

Call for Abstract Submissions
You are invited to be part of a premier national health education and health promotion conference cosponsored by the Directors of Health Promotion and Education (DHPE), Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the 2007 National Health Education Conference & SOPHE’s 2007 Midyear Scientific Conference, June 7-9, 2007, in Seattle, WA.

The conference theme, “Changing Face of Health Education and Health Promotion” speaks to breaking down sub-categories within the profession such as infectious vs. chronic, global health vs. domestic health that serve as barriers to progress. This conference will encourage re-conceptualizing health education and health promotion programs, research and practice to cross over professional boundaries and seek an integrated approach to solving health education challenges. Abstract proposals from all professionals and public health partners involved in health education, health promotion, health communication, community health, and behavioral research are encouraged to respond to this invitation.

For more information visit: www.sophe.org.