She calls it propaganda gardening.  Pam Warhurst is the co-founder of England's Incredible Edible.   Incredible Edible takes over vacant land and creates community gardens.  All done without a "flippin' strategy document."  

TAKE A LOOK…

Cross-sector collaboration is one of the latest buzz phrases in public health.  However, it is rare to hear of technology sector collaborations between healthy built environment advocates and technology types such as computer programmers and electrical engineers. Health care  has taken advantage of…

In the United States, the Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer.  The well-organized among us have switched out double-pane windows and planted veggies we can cook on the grill wheeled to the patio for the first "eat & greet" of the season. Good weather,…

The emphasis on the built environment in public health is hard to escape.  Conferences, podcasts, webinars.......you name it......there is a discussion concerning getting people to walk more frequently in their daily lives.  The task for public health practitioners is to bring evidence to discussions in order to inform decision makers on parks, transportation, and planning boards to consider public health goals in their deliberations. 

If asked, anyone working on community health…

In January, the Institute of Medicine released the report Living Well with Chronic Illness: A Call for Public Health Action.  The report may strike some…

FoodNavigator USA is my one-stop-shop for food and beverage industry points of view on public health interventions.  The commentary is predictable, but what is most interesting is the "logic" supporting positions taken by the website's contributers.  But an opinion piece on the Cornell systematic review of studies concerning food environments and eating was a bit of a shock.  Caroline…

Jon Stewart may be the one name most Comedy  Central viewers associate with The Daily Show.  But Lizz Winstead, co-creator of The Daily Show, produced the syndicated talk show that launched Jon Stewart's career.  She is responsible for the satirical newscast format that made Comedy Central a viable cable network.  Winstead has not strayed too far from her news roots. Financially secure, she now writes the occasional article for The Guardian explaining some aspect of American life to our…

It's that time of year again when Americans gather together to give thanks, celebrate family and friendship, and, of course, enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving feast.  As you come to the table in the coming days I don't question that you'll know your turkey from your green beans and your dinner rolls from your Brussels sprouts.  As for members of Congress?  Well, maybe not so much.

 …

The August 26, 2011 issue of The Lancet is dedicated to the global obesity epidemic. The issue was timed to coincide with the upcoming United Nations high-level  meeting concerning non-communicable diseases. The first high profile global meeting dedicated to obesity was sponsored by the…

A University of Alberta study utilized the Edmonton Obesity Staging System (EOSS)  and BMI studied 8,143 people who participate in two nutrition surveys conducted in the United States. Reseachers found that individuals classified as Stage 1 or 2 had a substantially lower risk of dying 20 years post survey than those classified as Stage 3 or greater. EOSS describes risk factors (blood pressure, lipid levels, blood glucose) in five stages for obese individuals.  Stage 0 indicates the patient…

I am on board with preventing obesity. But I think the latest report from Trust for America's Health illustrates and reinforces the negative attitudes we have about overweight/obese people.  The Rudd Center has done a good job of bringing attention to the stigmatizing nature of obesity. I don't deny that the updated…

The New Yorker can be counted on to bring the absurd to serious matters. …

I never cease to be amazed by Americans.  The former Obama administration operative & current head man in your Windy City, Rahm Emanuel, is championing buses that sell healthy food in what are called food desserts.  If I am not mistaken, a similar effort was tried in New York with a much smaller mode of transport-food carts- selling food in front of those dreadful corner "grocery" stores.  The healthy food cart owners were beset upon by unhappy store owners and dared not return.   Read…

New York was the first city to develop design guidelines.  Although the designs are option, Housing Development Corporation projects must opt-in to using the guidelines in designs. …

Tenants in a new co-op in New York will be one of the first in the nation to live in a new type of healthy building.  According to  the Gothamist, "the eight-story, 63-unit, co-op called The Melody was built with keeping active in mind. So not only does it include a gym inside and exercise equipment outside, it also boasts a well-lit, decorated stairwell with light jazz coming over the speakers. And outside of that staircase is a sign that reads: “A person’s health can be judged by which…

A study from the University of South Carolina traces the increase in overweight and obesity to a reduction in occupation-related physical activity.  Simply stated the study concludes:

Over the last 50 years in the U.S. we estimate that daily occupation-related energy expenditure has decreased by more than 100 calories, and this reduction in energy expenditure accounts for a significant portion of the increase in mean U.S. body weights for women and…

     This evening I attended a public meeting for the One Bay Area sustainable communities planning process.  The meeting is one of several public input meetings being held in communities across San Francisco Bay  Area counties and cities that are members of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). 

     Public health policy advocates are not strangers to political opposition; however, the pro-freedom of choice and anti-government contingent present at the planning meeting held…

The economy is on everyone's mind. In the UK there is a lot of belt-tightening that has been a disaster for some.  While the royal nuptials headlines appear in your tabloids & magazines popular with the younger set, there is more talk about cuts in spending than what Mrs. Middleton will be wearing to the royal wedding.  Friends from California have a small gourmet pizza shop and they report that they were visited by a well-dressed man to discuss a tax on soda.   

It seems your…

A study from Ireland found that taste is an imporant factor in food choices.  I wonder how this information applies here in America where, for example, Latino families are starting to recognize that childhood obesity is a problem for their children. But taste is probably still important because children will let you know immediately that they don't like the way food tastes.

"The study, published in Journal of Functional Foods, found that an informed food choice regarding…