Why some population interventions for dieting and obesity are better than others
Public health interventions that require individuals to invest fewer personal and psychological resources are more likely to be most effective. Researchers from the University of Cambridge identified two main approaches for improving diets from governmental perspectives, the first looks at the population and aims to elicit modest reductions in risk to everyone, whilst the other tries to focus on individual agency and personal will to benefit from interventions.
The researchers found that many population interventions do not all have the same effect and these are the interventions that are currently favoured by governments around the world. For example, encouraging people to cook at home may be difficult when many can’t afford to, they don’t have the correct facilities, or enough time. However, population interventions that require little to no individual agency are the most likely to be beneficial, this could be something as simple as reducing salt in diet or even processed food. Therefore, the researchers are promoting the development, evaluation and implementation of population interventions that require low levels of agency for individuals to benefit more.
Read MoreMindfulness very effective for teenagers
Some of the simplest, safest and most effective interventions for combating adolescent obesity may be just making them aware of what they are eating. A recent study conducted in Georgia, USA showed that mindfulness eating awareness training programs encourage adolescents to make healthier food choices and increase their physical activity. 40 high school students were enrolled in a 12 week mindfulness program, alongside a control group, sessions ranged from meditation techniques to meal timings.
Adolescents in the intervention arm eventually ate better and exercised more. They also experienced a slight downward trend in their weight, whilst those in the control arm did not experience such positive outcomes. However, many in the intervention arm continued to binge eat, therefore more research into the use of mindfulness and its possible adjustments must be conducted. The overall concept though is a relatively simple and easy intervention, and could prove to be highly successful in defending the health of young people.
Read MoreObesity affecting male fertility
Obesity affecting male fertility
Infertility in obese men is a global health issue and needs to be addressed by policymakers and the media. This is the suggestion from a recent study based in Porto, Portugal that examined, in particular, the effect of obesity on the fertility of males. Obesity is a metabolic disease that can cause dysfunction in the body’s endocrine system and hormonal functioning. Fertility is extremely closely linked with hormones and even the smallest of changes can result in large effects. The researchers wanted to highlight the fact that as obesity is now such a widespread problem, there will be other issues that occur at the same time, one of which is male infertility.
The study itself discussed the most recent and relevant evidence relating to male infertility and obesity, some of which examined how lifestyle factors and dietary habits can influence the progression of obesity and male infertility. Overall, the team hopes that their paper will lead to increased media coverage about the issue, whilst also proving to policymakers how important it is in today’s society.
Read MoreShould food be labelled with activity equivalent information?
Food should be labelled with the equivalent exercise required to expend the number of calories it contains. This is the suggestion from Shirley Cramer, Chief Executive at the Royal Society of Public Health, in an article published in the BMJ. She explains that with more than two-thirds of the UK population overweight or obese, more innovative changes are required in order to adequately address the issue. One of the suggested changes would be to introduce ‘activity equivalent’ calorie labelling, with the objective being that people would be more mindful of the energy they consume, whilst also encouraging them to be more active.
Cramer further explained that 44% of people found current calorie information confusing on food packaging, and 53% said that they would positively change their behaviour if they could see the activity equivalent of the food, this would include changing portion sizes, choosing healthier products and doing more physical exercise. Placing this type of information on food packaging could play an integral part as one of the solutions to such a multifaceted problem like obesity. However, food packaging is governed by the European Union, therefore widespread changes would need to be made in order to push through these suggestions. Therefore, to encourage this idea, Cramer has called for detailed research into its use as a potential intervention to change the behaviour of the general public.
Read MoreBEATing hunger with a nonsurgical intervention
BEATing hunger with a nonsurgical intervention
A novel, safe and minimally invasive treatment has been developed that may help people struggling to lose weight. Researchers designed the Bariatric Embolization of Arteries for the Treatment of Obesity (BEAT) trial to evaluate the use of bariatric arterial embolization (BAE) as a new treatment option for obesity. The technology itself was developed by interventional radiologists and works by using catheters and image guidance systems to decrease blood flow to certain parts of the stomach that produce a hormone called ghrelin. This hormone is known for being the body’s most powerful ‘hunger hormone’.
The study itself enrolled 7 severely obese participants that were already being cared for by a multidisciplinary team. The participants were monitored after treatment with BAE and it was found to be a safe and effective procedure, as no adverse events were reported and all patients experienced marked weight loss as well as much lower hunger levels. After 6 months the participants had lost an average of 13.3% of their original weight. The researchers are hoping to gain approval to test the treatment on a larger cohort of patients, so that the safety and efficacy of BAE can be fully assessed.
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