Healthy Communities: Improving Ourselves Inside and Out

Healthy Communities:

Improving Ourselves Inside and Out

Yesterday’s release of nationwide county health rankings prepared by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, paints a detailed picture of community health disparities and improvements. The annual rankings allow people to compare their county with others in the state on multiple health factors set against national benchmarks.  For communities experiencing poor health seeking to improve next year’s rankings, external progress may include: adding more farmer’s markets and urban grocery stores, providing greater and affordable access to health care, creating jobs in high unemployment areas or constructing safer sidewalks for pedestrians and bicyclists.  Such gains could certainly reposition these ailing communities on track to better health in the coming years. So what about health challenges that aren’t easily visible? Scientists at the University of Buffalo have been studying different situations that prompt overeating in children. Studies suggest overweight children who feel left out or ostracized are likely to eat more, contributing to or exacerbating chronic illnesses like Type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol. We  may have add the grocery store but still have a child who fills up on junk food to ease internal pain. First Lady Michelle Obama is addressing this through her “Let’s Move” campaign, yet it needs a community commitment and compassion toward each other to succeed, not one of apathy, indifference. Creating healthy communities will require solutions that heal us inside and out.  

Highlighted Clip for Thursday, March 31, 2011:

"Ostracized overweight kids eat more"

By Nanci Hellmich

When overweight children feel left out or ostracized, they tend to eat more and exercise less, new research shows.