August 22, 2019 — My struggles with weight and health began when I was 3, after my parents got married and my mom got a promotion. Her job became more stressful, home-cooked meals became rare, and healthy living wasn’t a priority. My mom, my dad, and I all began to put on weight. We tried cooking at home more […]
August 21, 2019 — Tall tales are not just for the literature of Mark Twain. In fact, you can find a few in childhood obesity. A new paper in Obesity Reviews offers an inventory of ten methods for exaggeration of effectiveness in childhood obesity studies. Andrew Brown and colleagues (including ConscienHealth’s Ted Kyle) provide examples of each. Checklists can […]
August 20, 2019 — We have a problem. Right now, roughly a hundred million people in the U.S. have obesity. This is a chronic disease that leads to diabetes, heart disease, certain forms of cancer, liver disease, osteoarthritis, and a host of other conditions. But for the most part, people receive no medical care for obesity. A new report […]
August 19, 2019 — The nature of liver disease is shifting in the U.S. Over the last three decades, hepatitis C has dropped by nearly half. But over that same time, we’ve seen more liver disease due to obesity and diabetes. In fact, NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) has grown in almost perfect synchrony with obesity and type 2 […]
August 18, 2019 — Last week, the introduction of Kurbo by WW prompted a flutter of twittering about weight and health and childhood. Twitter exploded with strong opinions from people who didn’t need to know much about Kurbo to render judgment. In today’s guest post, our friend Sarah Bramblette offers a very personal perspective on having options in childhood. […]
August 17, 2019 — Kids these days. Social media seems to consume them. Gen Z, also known as the iGen, has grown up with smartphones and these apps. So it often defines the generation. Cranky codgers might decry it, but thoughtful researchers look at the potential benefits and harms. An association with psychological distress crops up as a worry […]
August 16, 2019 — We’ve just spent two days with nearly 200 human resource pros in the Texas Business Group on Health. They gathered for regional forums on health benefits in San Antonio and Houston. One thing comes through loud and clear. Employers are moving on beyond superficial wellness programs. Those programs alone don’t have much of an impact […]
August 15, 2019 — Beware of pilot studies with claims of effectiveness. “A pilot study is not a hypothesis testing study,” says Andrew Leon in a cogent summary of what pilots can and can’t do. But it’s oh so tempting to jump on effect data from a pilot study. Especially when you believe in what you think it tells […]
August 14, 2019 — WW is stepping out on a limb and we hope the world is ready for it. Not quite a year after walking away from its identity as Weight Watchers, it’s taking a bold step. WW is rolling out Kurbo by WW for kids 8-17 with excess weight and obesity. Is this something that can be […]
August 13, 2019 — The o-word has long been a problem. “Obesity” is a medical term that is more than just off-putting. It’s a stigmatizing diagnosis. Even worse is labeling people as “obese.” That’s not OK. Most people with obesity will tell you that they might have some excess weight, but obesity has nothing to do with them. Thus […]
