Research

Treatment plan: A Columbus researcher says simple interventions could help stem the epidemic of childhood obesity.

Dr. Robert Murray, director of the Center for Nutrition and Wellness at Columbus Children's Hospital, says putting more emphasis on school nutrition policies and weight management counseling during well-child visits with pediatricians could help America's children stay slimmer.

Dr. Murray says pediatricians should use well-child visits to address obesity just as they follow up on childhood immunization. Following children's progress on the body mass index curve and addressing progress with children can help keep children on track, Dr. Murray says.

He also suggests that expanding services of the National School Lunch Program could stem weight gain through adolescence. Children who receive school lunches and breakfasts eat twice the servings of fruits and vegetables and more grains and dairy than other children.

Dr. Murray aired his strategies Sunday at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition in Boston.

Hot news

Plate lunch: Lunch with teacher could teach youngsters better eating habits, researchers say.

Researchers at Columbus Children's Hospital found third-graders who ate in the classroom and interacted with the teacher ate 21 percent more of their school lunches compared to children who ate in the cafeteria.

The study, aimed at finding ways to reduce plate waste among children who eat school lunches, also found that all of the students who ate with their teachers finished their milk, compared to 75 percent of the students who ate in the cafeteria.

"High plate waste can compromise the potential benefits school meals offer children, which include immediate improvement in nutrition, promotion of healthy growth and development and protection against diseases and chronic health conditions," said lead researcher Kristina L. Houser, a registered dietitian. "Additionally, it promotes good eating habits that may be carried into adulthood. This is why we believe these findings are so significant."

Not surprisingly, vegetables were the items most likely to be thrown away.

Tips

De-stress: Exercise doesn't just improve your heart rate; it also reduces stress, say experts at the American Council on Exercise.

How it works:

Exercise relaxes you. A session generates 90 to 120 minutes of relaxation response triggered by the release of endorphins, the body's natural "feel-good" brain chemicals.

Exercise makes you feel better about yourself. Increased self-worth contributes to stress relief.

Exercise can make you eat better.

Exercise helps you feel less anxious.

Siting

Click: Check out www.weightfocus.com. The site includes tips on motivation, picking an exercise plan and nutrition information.

Shelf help

The plan: Fit Not Fat at 40 Plus (Rodale Publishing; $19.95) by the editors of Prevention Health Books for Women looks at the challenges mature women face as they try to firm the damages caused by gravity, baby weight and the ravages of time.

Contact Peggy O'Farrell by phone, 768-8510; fax, 768-8330, or e-mail, pofarrell@enquirer.com