PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Better eating habits, not bad economy, stabilized obesity rates

2014-01-23
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Thania Benios
thania_benios@unc.edu
919-962-8596
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Better eating habits, not bad economy, stabilized obesity rates All those people who've been telling us for years that we should eat more healthy foods and cut our calories – stop, take a moment, and celebrate.

It appears that we actually listened.

A new, extensive study from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Gillings School of Global Public Health says that it wasn't the Great Recession or any economic downturn that created a leveling of U.S. obesity rates (with some declines in certain subpopulations), as other scholars have suggested. Rather, the leveling and decline started well before that in good economic times and has continued. The reason is not economics as much as it is likely a result of more information and efforts aimed at producing healthier food choices and eating habits.

The study, titled "Turning point for US diets? Recessionary effects or behavioral shifts in foods purchased and consumed" was recently posted at the online site of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

"We found U.S. consumers changed their eating and food purchasing habits significantly beginning in 2003, when the economy was robust, and continued these habits to the present," said Shu Wen Ng, assistant professor of nutrition at UNC's Gillings School of Global Public Health and the study's first author.

"These changes in food habits persist independent of economic conditions linked with the Great Recession or food prices," Ng said. "The calorie consumption was declining at a rate of about 34 calories less per year among children aged 2-18 between 2003 and 2010 (vs. only 14 kcal/day among adults decline per year). The declines in food purchases after adjusting for all the economic changes was also at a rate of 34 kcal/capita per year among households with children between 2000 and 2011."

Ng adds that this dramatic turn in dietary behavior is more likely the outcome of sustained and persistent public health efforts aimed at raising awareness about the importance of healthy eating, providing better information about food choices, and discouraging unhealthy dietary choices.

The researchers used both nationally representative dietary intake data along with longitudinal data on daily food purchases from hundreds of thousands of Americans. The study samples included combined datasets from the NHANES study, which covered households comprising 13,422 children and 10,791 adults from 2003-2011; and the Nielsen Homescan Panel, which contains food purchase data from 57,298 households with children and 108,932 households without children.

The data show that calories declined more among children than adults and that the proportional decline in calories was greatest among calories from beverages.

Researchers then turned their analysis to examining how much of this decline was the result of the Great Recession and the year of large increases in food prices preceding the recession. If we looked only at the impact of the increases in unemployment related to the Great Recession, the study showed that each 1 percent increase in the unemployment rate in the area where respondents lived was associated with a 2-4 kcal/capita/day increase in calories purchased. This is small relative to the major declines that occurred over time.

"This analysis is significant as we found the largest declines were among households with children. However these declines did not occur uniformly. There were no significant declines in caloric intake observed among adolescents (12-18y), non-Hispanic black children and those whose parents did not complete high school," said Barry Popkin, Distinguished Professor of nutrition at UNC Gillings. "This suggests that certain subpopulations are still unable or unwilling to make these dietary changes."

While Popkin noted that the specific contributors for these changes in behavior are not quantifiable, he suggested that greater attention by the public health community and journalists to obesity overall, particularly to soft drinks and other high-calorie sugary beverages and the changes made by food companies or retailers may have produced significant rises in the awareness among consumers about the role of food, particularly when it comes to caloric beverages in affecting obesity and health.

### The research was supported by grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Institute of Health.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Scripps Florida scientists find regulator of amyloid plaque buildup in Alzheimer's disease

2014-01-23
JUPITER, FL – January 23, 2014 – Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have identified a critical regulator of a molecule deeply involved ...

Physical activity significantly extends lives of cancer survivors

2014-01-23
MAYWOOD, Il. – Physical activity significantly extends the lives of male cancer survivors, a new study of 1,021 men has found. During the period while the ...

NIH scientists map gene changes driving tumors in common pediatric soft-tissue cancer

2014-01-23
Scientists have mapped the genetic changes that drive tumors in rhabdomyosarcoma, a pediatric soft-tissue cancer, and found that the disease is characterized ...

A new wrinkle in the control of waves

2014-01-23
CAMBRIDGE, Mass-- Flexible, layered materials textured with nanoscale wrinkles could provide a new way of controlling the wavelengths and distribution ...

Analysis indicates that North and tropical Atlantic warming affects Antarctic climate

2014-01-23
The gradual warming of the North and tropical Atlantic Ocean is contributing to climate change in Antarctica, a team of ...

Salmonella infection mitigates asthma

2014-01-23
Researchers from Germany have identified the mechanism by which Salmonella infections can reduce the incidence of asthma in mice. The research, which appears ahead of print in the journal ...

Palau's coral reefs surprisingly resistant to ocean acidification

2014-01-23
Marine scientists working on the coral reefs of Palau have made two unexpected discoveries that could provide insight ...

More benefits emerging for one type of omega-3 fatty acid: DHA

2014-01-23
CORVALLIS, Ore. – A study of the metabolic effects of omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA, concludes that these compounds may have an even wider range of biological impacts than previously considered, ...

UGA researchers discover origin of unusual glands in the body

2014-01-23
Athens, Ga. – The thymus gland is a critical component of the human immune system that is responsible for the development of T-lymphocytes, or T-cells, which help organize and lead the body's fighting forces ...

Morbidity higher in obese liver transplant recipients with diabetes

2014-01-23
Researchers from New Zealand report that morbidity following liver transplant is highest among obese patients with diabetes, but these risk factors do not influence post-transplant survival. ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Promising new drug for people with stubborn high blood pressure

One shot of RSV vaccine effective against hospitalization in older adults for two seasons

Bivalent RSV prefusion F protein–based vaccine for preventing cardiovascular hospitalizations in older adults

Clonal hematopoiesis and risk of new-onset myocarditis and pericarditis

Risk of myocarditis or pericarditis with high-dose vs standard-dose influenza vaccine

High-dose vs standard-dose influenza vaccine and cardiovascular outcomes in older adults

Prevalence, determinants, and time trends of cardiovascular health in the WHO African region

New study finds that, after a heart attack, women have worse prognosis when treated with beta-blockers

CNIC-led REBOOT clinical trial challenges 40-year-old standard of care for heart attack patients

Systolic blood pressure and microaxial flow pump–associated survival in infarct-related cardiogenic shock

Beta blockers, the standard treatment after a heart attack, may offer no benefit for heart attack patients and women can have worse outcomes

High Mountain Asia’s shrinking glaciers linked to monsoon changes

All DRII-ed up: How do plants recover after drought?

Research on stigma says to just ‘shake it off’

Scientists track lightning “pollution” in real time using NASA satellite

Millions of women rely on contraceptives, but new Rice study shows they may do more than just prevent pregnancy

Hot days make for icy weather, Philippine study finds

Roxana Mehran, MD, receives the most prestigious award given by the European Society of Cardiology

World's first clinical trial showing lubiprostone aids kidney function

Capturing language change through the genes

Public trust in elections increases with clear facts

Thawing permafrost raised carbon dioxide levels after the last ice age

New DNA test reveals plants’ hidden climate role

Retinitis pigmentosa mouse models reflect pathobiology of human RP59

Cell’s ‘antenna’ could be key to curing diseases

Tiny ocean partnership between algae and bacteria reveals secrets of evolution

Scientists uncover cellular “toolkit” to reprogram immune cells for cancer therapy

Blocking protein control pathway slows rhabdomyosarcoma growth in mice

2026 Hertz Fellowship Application Now Open

The gut immune system is altered in mouse model of Alzheimer’s, providing a new target for therapeutics

[Press-News.org] Better eating habits, not bad economy, stabilized obesity rates