American Public Health Association 2006 annual meeting

At the APHA (American Public Health Association) conference from 4-8 November 2006, cardiovascular disease and its risk factors played a prominent role-particularly, the obesity epidemic. After the end of the conference, the APHA governing council adopted new policies related to obesity and food consumption: "APHA supports the immediate mobilization of governmental, public and private agencies to coordinate actions to reverse the obesity epidemic, working toward achieving the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans as a means to begin reversing obesity rates"; and "APHA urges federal, state and local governments to ban and monitor the use of trans fat laden partially hydrogenated oils in restaurants or require restaurants to have menu labeling that would prominently disclose all amounts of trans fat greater than 0.1 gram per serving."

The following are highlights of some presentations at the conference that focused on obesity, physical activity, and tobacco smoking:

Legal strategies to fight childhood obesity
Federal farming policy is closely connected to the foods Americans have to eat. Yet not enough attention is paid to this important policy tool. The upcoming US farm bill, which is up for reauthorization in 2007, represents a unique opportunity to impact childhood obesity and public health. The food farming system should advance health and wellbeing; however, a big problem is the discrepancy between the US dietary guidelines and the farm bill. Not enough healthy foods like fruits and vegetables are produced compared to the amount people are told they should consume, increasing the cost and decreasing the availability of these foods. The reauthorization of the 2007 Farm Bill should promote healthy foods that match dietary guidelines and it should change to expand fruit and vegetable programs in schools. http://apha.confex.com/apha/134am/techprogram/paper_138458.htm
For more information on the presenter, Susan L. Roberts, JD, MS, RD: www.susan-roberts.net

Built environment
Access to parks helps increase the likelihood of engaging in physical activity; however, parks with little access to equipment (playgrounds, bicycle racks), high levels of physical disorder (debris, drug paraphernalia) and low levels of safety discourage physical activity. A study conducted in St. Louis County, Missouri, USA, showed that investment in community infrastructures and resources was lower in the inner city than in the areas of the county outside the city limits. Parks within the city, particularly those in African American neighborhoods, were more likely to lack access to equipment and more likely to have physical disorder; thus, physical inactivity in the city was lower (30.7%) than the county (11.7%). Investment in community parks in all settings, urban or rural, is likely to influence rates of physical activity. http://apha.confex.com/apha/134am/techprogram/paper_134240.htm

Nutrition education and health promotion
The Boston Public Health Commission created a barbershop-based, client-driven approach to nutrition education and health promotion for African American and Latino men called "Beyond the Burger." Participants of a focus group indicated preference toward a holistic approach to nutrition knowledge, including skill building in food shopping, meal preparation and improving food selection while eating out. Beyond the Burger consisted of four educational workshops discussing educational components and included food preparation demonstrations on a George Foreman grill. Owners, barbers and participants responded positively on knowledge development, skill-building and changed behaviors, demonstrating the effectiveness of health promotion through a barbershop-centered approach. http://apha.confex.com/apha/134am/techprogram/paper_138896.htm

Assessing smoking in university students in Rio de Janeiro
Researchers from the National Cancer Institute of Brazil and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health conducted a study assessing smoking in university students in Rio de Janeiro to fill the gap in available data about tobacco use among young Brazilians. Studies conducted in other countries show that environmental factors such as price, advertising and easy purchase exert an independent effect on the profile of tobacco use and should be studied so as to increase the effectiveness of intervention strategies. Television and radio ads for cigarettes have been banned in Brazil since 2000. There is also a public ban, which is minimally enforced. Researchers found that of the 14 coffees shops within the immediate vicinity of the university, 21% sold cigarettes, and 36% of the 28 stores in the area sold cigarettes. http://apha.confex.com/apha/134am/techprogram/paper_137817.htm

Cigarette smoking among Turkish university students
Another study on cigarette smoking among Turkish university students focused on behavioral attitudes towards smoking. Participants in the study stated that despite their habitual smoking, they were ashamed of smoking in front of teachers or other respected elders. They also described women's smoking as being a complicated, culturally charged issue in Turkey. Women who smoke while walking down the street are seen as "bad girls" or "prostitutes." However, the rate of smoking among Turkish women continues to rise.
http://apha.confex.com/apha/134am/techprogram/paper_142491.htm

Tobacco use, knowledge, attitude, and social impact of smoking among Asian Indian college students
This national study examined the pattern of tobacco use, knowledge, attitude, and social impact of smoking among college students of Asian Indian origin, the largest South Asian and third largest immigrant Asian subgroup in the United States. More males than females use tobacco and tobacco products, and there is a perception that female smokers are less attractive, have fewer friends, and lack confidence. The majority of participants agreed that smoking is the most preventable cause of death (83%), causes lung cancer (92%), is an addiction (93%) and contains carcinogenic chemicals (93%). However, 28% believe that spit tobacco is safer than smoking cigarettes.
http://apha.confex.com/apha/134am/techprogram/paper_130873.htm

Date Posted: 27 November 2006