Workplace Obesity Management Provides Good Return On Investment

“A program to reduce weight and improve health risk factors in obese employees produces a short-term return on investment (ROI) of $1.17 per dollar spent, reports a study in the September Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM). The lead author of the new report is Kristin M. Baker, M.P.H., of University of Georgia. The researchers analyzed a group of 890 overweight or obese employees participating in an obesity management program called Healthyroads. The workers received coaching and other services to support their efforts to lose weight, improve eating habits, and increase physical activity. The participants' average age was 44; about three-fourths were female. The average body mass index (BMI), a standard measure of weight for height, was 30.6. (A BMI between 25 and 30 indicates overweight, while a BMI of 30 or higher indicates obesity. Over one year, the participants had reductions in seven of ten health risk factors, including poor eating habits and poor physical activity. On average, the participants lost about ten pounds, with a BMI decrease of 0.9. To assess the financial impact of the program, the researchers used a recently developed ROI model, which estimated the changes in medical costs and worker productivity resulting from reductions in health risks. The results suggested a total projected savings of nearly $312,000. About 60 percent of the savings resulted from reduced health care spending; the remaining 40 percent resulted from improvements in productivity. The model estimated an overall ROI of $1.17 to $1.00 for each dollar spent on the obesity management program, costs decreased by $1.17. The total cost of the Healthyroads program averaged $300 per employee per year. ‘Employers could potentially achieve bigger savings in health care costs and productivity if the observed risk changes persisted beyond the study period,’ according to Ms. Baker and her coauthors.”

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120848.php

A Treadmill Designed For Kids? A Debate Over Fitness Takes Shape

“Treadmills and elliptical trainers for children: a benign way for kids to get in shape - or a depressing statement on what our society has become? That's the question swirling around two new products, Fitness Fun's My Treadmill and Glide-a-Stride, both of which are aimed at kids as young as 3, and promise fun ‘just like Mom and Dad!’ TV remote control not included. At Henry Bear's Park in Brookline Village, where the nonmotorized, kid-powered machines are displayed in the window, response has been decidedly mixed. At a time of heightened concern about childhood obesity, the treadmill and step glider, which retail from $99 to $120 each, are among a growing number of toys marketed to get kids moving, says Adrienne Citrin, public relations manager of the Toy Industry Association. In 2007, for example, Fisher-Price introduced a stationary bike for kids ages 3-6 that plugs into the television to keep youngsters interested. If manufacturers can make products that help kids slim down and that parents feel good about buying, Citrin says, ‘Everyone wins.’ Or do they? ‘I wouldn't say one should never consider something like this for a particular child,’ says Dr. David Ludwig, director of the Optimal Weight for Life Clinic at Children's Hospital Boston, ‘but we have to remember that children are not just little adults. Kids' bodies and their minds are not designed to spend 20 minutes on a treadmill.’ ‘It reflects, I think, a misguided mentality,’ he continued, ‘where we're trying to make physical activity for children a commodity rather than a natural integrated part of their lives.’ But Nicole Tiedemann, a publicist for Fitness Fun's parent company, International Playthings, plays up a different angle. ‘If mom and dad are running on a treadmill at home,’ she says, ‘the kids can do it, too.’ And if mom and dad have, er, stopped using their treadmills for exercise and instead turned them into repositories for clothing or books? Well then, the kiddie equipment might end up encouraging the grown-ups, Tiedemann says. "They always say a partner situation gets you more motivated to exercise. This could be a motivational tool not just for kids, but parents."

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2008/09/04/a_treadmill_designed_for_kids_a_debate_over_fitness_takes_shape/

Children In UK Estimated To Be More Active Than They Actually Are

“The physical activity levels of children in the United Kingdom have been enormously overestimated, according to an article released on September 9, 2008 in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, one of the BMJ Specialty journals. UK public health policy and practice is generally informed by annual health survey data. However, according to the authors of this article, this survey has not yet been validated. These figures have previously indicated that the population was generally very physically active, and that physical activity in children has increased over the past several years. One point of the survey, that could lead to errors, is that the information about children relies heavily on parent-supplied reporting. In maintaining proper health and preventing obesity and other illnesses later in life, it is recommended that children engage in at least one hour of moderate to vigorous exercise every day. Such physical activities might include brisk walking, running, or sports. To examine the survey's accuracy and reliability, researchers examined 130 children between the ages of 6 and 7 over the course of one week. The actual levels of physical activity were assessed using a portable monitoring and recording device (an accelerometer) which each carried on a waist belt. These readings were compared with information supplied by parents using the annual Health Survey for England. Parents reported that their children were moderately vigorously physically active for about 146 minutes a day. The accelerometer readings, however, indicated that this figure was 24 minutes per day. Boys generally had 26 minutes and girls had 22 minutes. According to the survey reports, 83% of boys and 56% of girls achieved the recommended daily levels of moderate to vigorous exercise. However, according to the accelerometer, showed only 3% of boys and 3% of girls actually achieved this level.”

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120724.php

Parents Battle Bulge, Bullying With Overweight And Obese Kids

“As the new school year begins, many parents with overweight and obese children are worried about how their kids will be treated by other students on the playground and in the classroom. Bullying is a major concern among parents with overweight and obese children ages 6 to 13, and these parents are much more likely than parents with healthy weight children to rate bullying as a top health issue for kids, according to a report released today by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. ‘We found that parents with overweight or obese children actually view bullying as a greater problem than childhood obesity,’ says Matthew M. Davis, M.D., M.A.P.P., director of the National Poll on Children's Health. ‘Since bullying is known to be a problem for children with increased weight, bullying prevention programs will need to be mindful of obesity as a potential trigger for bullying behavior, and of parents' concerns surrounding this issue.’ And parents aren't taking childhood obesity lightly. The National Poll on Children's Health recently reported that parents across the country now rank childhood obesity as their No. 1 health concern for kids. While parents are having discussions with their children about limiting junk food, time spent watching TV and videos, and playing computer games, the latest National Poll on Children's Health report reveals that only about two-thirds of parents with overweight or obese children actually enforce such limits. Regardless, Davis says talking with your child about making healthier diets and increased physical activity is still a very important first step in setting the stage for a healthier lifestyle.”

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120853.php

Pole Dancing Moves Into Fitness Mainstream

“Danielle Cash's idea of a good workout used to be exercising her right to say, ‘No thanks.’ The 28-year-old Fresno, Calif., woman tried Tae-Bo. She tried Pilates. She tried doing yoga along with television fitness shows. None of it lasted very long. ‘I'm allergic to exercise,'’ she says. But a couple months ago, Cash discovered a pole-dancing fitness class at Pulse Holistic Center in Fresno, and life hasn't been the same since. Each week, she attends two classes, spends another hour on a private lesson _ and she bought a pole for her home. ‘I know. It's silly,’ she says. But she was hooked from the first class. ‘It got your heart pumping, and we were working, we were learning things, and it was fun.’ Long associated with strip clubs and burlesque shows, pole dancing has moved into the fitness mainstream the past few years, largely on the strength of S Factor, a nationwide studio that has been featured on Oprah Winfrey's talk show. Maegan Stringfield, an instructor certified by the International Pole Federation, has taught pole-dancing fitness for women at Pulse since November. Demand for the classes is such that they now make up more than half of the center's schedule. ‘People are so done with the blankness of a treadmill,’ she says. ‘Women love to have fun and get together. But also they get a great workout at the same time.’ Karen Teare, another Pulse pole-dance instructor, says her classes offer a workout for the whole body. They start with stretches that incorporate different disciplines before moving to routines on the pole. ‘You are doing squats most of the time and working your abs and arms,’ she says. ‘When you get a routine together, you're working everything all at once.' Stringfield says her students range from 18 to 73 years old. Although it's not for women in the latter stages of pregnancy, pretty much anyone who's healthy can participate.”

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/131/story/529149.html

Heavier People Have Heart Attacks Earlier

“‘Basically, it is showing that as people got progressively more obese, the rate at which they had heart attacks early went up dramatically,’ said Dr. Eric D. Peterson, a professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center's Division of Cardiology and a member of the group reporting the findings.”

http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=619118

Brunswick Names New CFO

“Brunswick Corp., a recreational products manufacturer with operations based in Wisconsin, has named Peter Hamilton as the firm's new senior vice president and chief financial officer. The previous CFO for the Lake Forest, Ill.-based company. Peter Leemputte, resigned to take a position with another company.”

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2008/09/08/daily12.html