Feb 12
4
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Agricultural research / Food Science
Review of obesity in the United States and first actions in schools for 2012
Overweight and obesity are major public health issues in the United States. In 1997, there were already 19.4% of the population overweight or obese. In 2010, 36.7% of adults and are 17% of children aged 2 to 19 that are overweight or obese. It is about a third of the adult population is obese today. On the 50 States, twelve of them have a population with a 30% rate of obesity (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia). These States focus primarily in South-East of the United States [1].
Studies also clearly show according to ethnic origin, the rate of obesity. Among women “non-Hispanic black”, the rate of overweight or obesity is 51%, 43% for “Mexican-American” and 33% for the “non-Hispanic white”. In children, 24% of children “non-Hispanic Blacks”, 19% of the “Mexican-American” children and 14% of children “non-Hispanic whites” are overweight or obese.
However, a study by Gallup and Health ways shows that the phenomenon is slight regression since January 2011. Thus the figures move from 36.7% of people overweight or obese in 2010 to 35.8% in September 2011 (i.e. about 2 million people overweight or obese less), and 26.2% obese in 2010 to 25.8% in September 2011 (i.e. over 650 000 people obese less).
Despite this slight tendency to a decline, the figures indicate that obesity is a real public health problem which has cost, in 2008, 147 billion dollars to the company. The consequences are numerous with effects on health (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension,…), the psychological effects (poorly – be, depression,…) and sociological effects (social, family,…).
The main causes that promote obesity are:
-feeding behavior as determined by eating habits set in childhood;
-the environment which includes places of residence to access to food, access to sports equipment
-the social status and therefore the incomes of people;
-genetic factors such as the metabolism of the person;
-culture often linked to the ethnic origin of the person;
-physical activity;
-diseases or drug outlets.
Following the impact still weak campaigns of communication to the public to encourage a balanced diet and regular physical activity, the U.S. Government becomes aware that it is necessary to carry out more targeted actions. Indeed, the management of obesity will now focus on the first three cases cited above, which appear to be essential for mitigating the spread of this phenomenon, and which can benefit from the implementation of appropriate public policies.
The programmed developed
Various programmed were therefore put in place at the federal level, to try to eradicate this scourge:
-Nutritional assistance program (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program): the main action of this programmer, supported by the Department of American agriculture (USDA), is to provide food coupons [2]. First food coupons were distributed as early as 1939 and were advanced until today. To benefit from this assistance, a person must receive less than 908 dollars per month.
-For lunch at school (National School Lunch program) program: this program, supported by the USDA, enjoys the support of the Federal Government to provide children, in schools and institutions for children, meals of nutritional quality. It was started in 1946 and has evolved with the national law of the meals at school (National School Lunch Act) entered into force in 1952 [3]. This concept is also, since 1966, for breakfast (breakfast at (School breakfast program) program) [4].
-Food summer program (Summer Food Service Program): this program, by agency food and nutrition (Food and Nutrition Service) of the USDA, helps children to benefit from a balanced diet the summer school vacation because they cannot access more breakfasts and free lunches or low-cost distributed to schools through the two programs above [5]. This project has existed since 1968.
-Nutritional programmer for women with their babies and their children (Special nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children): establishes in 1972 and led by the food and nutrition of the USDA agency, this program provides balanced food, nutritional advice, breastfeeding, and information about social services and health care institutions to women with low incomes and with infants or children to support [6].
New food standards in schools
It is now clearly established that the risk of obesity must be supported at the very young age because eating habits to determine before the age of 10 in General. Michelle Obama was initiated in February 2010 let’s move to improve the diet of children to the problems of obesity, and therefore their impact on health, in a generation.
Despite the programmed implemented and detailed above, the administration became aware of the need to advance more quickly with more action, especially to children. Michelle Obama comes to formalist, in January 2012, a new action for meals at school. New standards were defined and signed by the President Obama. These standards are based on the following rules:
-fruit and vegetables available each day to children;
-more than products composed of whole grains;
-impoverished dairy fat;
-products including the amounts of fatty acids trans, saturated fatty acids and sodium are evaluated;
-parts adapted to children;
-a proper number of calories.
The program will be implemented from the school year 2012-2013 with 32 million children of school public or private sector. The estimated budget is almost $ 3.2 billion over five years. These changes will apply in the first place on the lunch and then extend to breakfast. Other changes will also take place with the application of these new standards:
-An increase in the price of meals from 6 cents (which remained unchanged for 30 years Award);
-Pricing standards so that costs are stabilized.
-Actions of training and advice to schools (including for the preparation of meals);
-Adoption of rules of nutrition such as substitution of fatty and sugary products in vending machines or the variety of the food and menus proposed the canteens.
Among the causes of development of obesity in children, vending machines in schools have often been implicated. However, a recent study by Jennifer Van Hook and Claire E. Altman, of the University of Pennsylvania, calls into question the causal link between the vending machines and the progress of obesity. Indeed, food habits would be determined before that children have access to these distributors, i.e. at the entrance to the College at the age of 10 years. These eating patterns determine primarily with the education of the children and the types of meals or foods that their are proposed and served at home. But statistics show that in 2010, among children 6 to 11 years, 35.5% are already overweight or obese. It is true that vending machines provide easy access to often fatty and sweet food. However, in the hypothesis where distributors would be removed from schools, children would have the opportunity to purchase this type of food close to the exit of the schools
A second study, led by Paul Von Hippel, sociologist at the University of Ohio, in 2007, shows that children are often more weight during the school holidays. Jennifer Van Hook and Claire E. Altman hypothesized that vending machines are not part of the triggering factors of obesity or overweight but that it is generated earlier, as a child.
On the industrial
With a rate of increasingly frenetic life, the population has more time, or takes longer time to cook. Industrialists have therefore integrated very early this niche in their development with meals, snacks, meal solutions strategy… However, since ten years and political incentives, these prepared dishes have evolved to the level of their composition: less salt, less fat, more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, of appropriate portions… The company Kraft Foods, for example, since 2005, began to redesign its products in order to improve the composition and nutritional quality. Today, in the United States, 30% of their range has been modified and now has better nutritional characteristics [7].
There is also an evolution of the “packaging” with the emergence of nutrition claims and health since 2003 following the plan carried out by the Agency of drugs and food (Food and Drug Administration) that allows producers to affix allegations with evidence, which are sometimes inconclusive. However, these allegations are found on the majority of packaging. A study by the Nielsen agency in 2011, shows that 59% of consumers do not understand the meaning of these allegations and that 53% think that they overload the packaging and are unnecessary [8].
