With a little planning, you can successfully give up cigarettes for good. Find out what you could be making to do something you love. With gas prices though the roof, you need to make every drop count. Here’s the lowdown on what shots you need. To choose the best allergy medications for you, learn what’s available to treat your symptoms - and work with your doctor to figure out what medications is best for you. Read Childhood Obesity

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Greensboro, NC — Get Healthy Guilford kicked off its childhood obesity challenge today at the Bryan YMCA. The challenge is for kids to eat five or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day and to get at least one hour of exercise. They hope all kids will take the challenge for six weeks starting February 2, 2009. For more information text HELP to 4INFO (44636). Users of this site agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy / Privacy Rights . Read Childhood Obesity

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It’s not simply the proliferation of fast food restaurants, junk foods, video games or computers that have caused Tar Heel youngsters to go from developing lean muscle to sitting on their haunches and doing little besides reaching for more potato chips. Parents can limit electronic time, particularly among the youngest children, instead engaging them in physical activities that both encourage them to play outside and develop habits that will follow them throughout their lives. The Onslow County school system is right to address the problem, but they should also follow the causes to their cafeterias, snack machines and emphasis on computer-related skills. By kicking high-fat, empty-calorie foods out of the school system and providing opportunities for kids to do something other than sit in front of a screen all day, they can give parents a helping hand with changing their kids’ habits. If adults take an active interest in what their kids are doing and lead the way by setting good examples and providing a healthy environment, kids will follow them. Read Childhood Obesity

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Chicago Run, a non-profit group that initiates running programs in low- and moderate-income Chicago public schools, received a $50,000 grant from Bank of America to combat childhood obesity in minority communities. Now students â” and sometimes their teachers and principals â” in South and West Side elementary schools run several miles a week for no other reason than their own physical fitness. The 133 runners at Benjamin Mays in Englewood have logged a combined 1,960 miles since the beginning of the school year, and 33 have passed the 26. Once a principal agrees to host the program, a site coordinator at each school, usually the gym teacher, recruits homeroom teachers to commit their classes to the program. The money will go toward expanding the program to more schools, and for planning the programâs annual one-mile fun run in June. Read Childhood Obesity

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According to new research, family-based programs can help children lose weight and maintain their weight loss. Family-based lifestyle interventions that not only modify diet and exercise but also include behavior therapy programs can help obese children lose weight and keep it off for at least six months. These new findings are the first to provide enough data to support these specific programs. Pediatric obesity rates are currently at 30 percent in the Americas and 20 percent in Europe. Sign up for a free weekly e-mail on Medical Breakthroughs called First to Know by clicking here . Home | What’s New | News Flash | Search/Latest Medical News | E-Mail Medical Alerts! Read Childhood Obesity

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Overweight children and their families will attend free 10-week health courses as part of a campaign to tackle childhood obesity. It comes the week after an NHS dietician revealed children as young as two were being treated for obesity. Families will get advice on healthy eating, physical activity and shopping on a budget after enrolling themselves or being referred by a GP. Professionals will be on hand to help change behaviour and build children’s confidence. Rather than focus on losing weight, the Welsh Assembly Government said the twice-weekly classes will teach “weight management skills”. About one in five 13-year-olds in Wales is said to be obese or overweight. Read Childhood Obesity

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ASHEVILLE – With a unique blend of talent and resources, the National Park Service, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation are focusing on a national epidemic childhood obesity. The objective is to engage children and their families in activities that increase physical activity, improve nutritional choices, and increase awareness of the Blue Ridge Parkway as a recreational resource. Huff, the NPS, and the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation have convened a regional advisory board to maximize the program’s effectiveness with Dr. The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is the primary fundraising organization for the Blue Ridge Parkway, providing critical support beyond federal budgets to assure that the traditions and beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway can be forever realized and shared. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation is focused on improving the health and well-being of North Carolinians by specifically addressing the health of vulnerable populations, supporting physical activity and nutrition programs, and helping nonprofit organizations improve their organizational capacity. Read Childhood Obesity

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In Canada , 26% of children and youth aged two to 17 years are overweight or obese – and this number is rising, putting Canada ’s children at risk for heart disease at an early age. That’s why Doctors Katherine Morrison and Zubin Punthakee are researching the underlying factors that could be contributing to this epidemic of overweight and obesity. The researchers are basing this new study of children on a trial of 135,000 adults in 16 countries, which is exploring how the built environment and nutrition and tobacco policies affect their risk of obesity and overall heart disease. Punthakee says that one thing that’s been seen is that in affluent areas, walkability (areas with local stores and destinations that can be easily reached without driving) is associated with lower obesity rates, but not in areas where the average income is lower. It will take one or two years for the research team to collect the data from all the kids and communities, but the researchers hope the results will help generations to come avoid the pitfalls of obesity and heart disease. The contents do not necessarily represent the Foundation’s opinion or policies and the Heart and Stroke Foundation assumes no responsibility or liability for any inaccuracy or omission of information or from the use of any information or advice in this article. Read Childhood Obesity

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About 30 physical education teachers from Henderson and Rutherford county schools are running, skipping and sidestepping around orange cones in the gymnasium of the Western North Carolina Justice Academy. SPARK, Sports, Play and Active Recreation for Kids, is a research-based physical education program out of California, according to the organizers. Locally, the Childhood Obesity Prevention Demonstration Project is funded by a grant from the state’s legislature, which the Henderson County Department of Public Health and the Partnership of Health helped spearhead with 17 other agencies in the community. The partners range from schools to hospitals, and they are working in Henderson County to help create a healthier community. It shows “the need in the school systems so we can in turn address obesity and other diseases, like diabetes. Part of the fun of the exercises is to get kids interested in a variety of activities, which are inclusive and build self esteem, confidence and social skills. Read Childhood Obesity

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Professor Boyd Swinburn says new analysis which shows a stabilisation of youth obesity rates this decade should not relieve pressure on the food industry to curb its promotion of unhealthy products. His comments followed the release of an analysis of 27 Australian studies of childhood-weight status, conducted from 1985 to 2007 and taking in about 70,000 children, by University of South Australia Professor Timothy Olds. Prof Olds says it had revealed a “clear plateau” in obesity prevalence over the past five to 10 years, with obesity now affecting five to six per cent of the child population while 23 to 24 per cent were obese or overweight. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) also responded by saying the figures on overweight and obese children remained too high, while the peak body representing food manufacturers welcomed the deflating of a myth. Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) chief executive Kate Carnell said Prof Olds’ analysis had echoed the results of joint-industry and federal government study, which found 76 per cent of Australian children were “normal weight”. Read Childhood Obesity

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