RWJF Releases Call For Proposals on Healthy Eating Research

Healthy Eating Research Releases Call for Proposals

Healthy Eating Research is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The program supports research on environmental and policy strategies with strong potential to promote healthy eating among children to prevent childhood obesity, especially among groups at highest risk for obesity: Black, Latino, American Indian, Asian/Pacific Islander children, and children who live in lower-income communities. Findings are expected to advance RWJF’s efforts to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic and help all children achieve a healthy weight.  The Healthy Eating Research Special Solicitation call for proposals (CFP) is now open. This CFP focuses on childhood obesity prevention efforts in two settings: Healthy Food Retail and Early Care and Education. Total Awards Approximately $425,000 will be awarded under this CFP. Awards of up to 12 months and up to $75,000 each will be funded through this special solicitation. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply for projects that require between $25,000 and $75,000 to complete. Approximately two-thirds of the funds available will be allocated to studies focused on healthy food retail and one-third will be allocated to studies focused on early care and education. How To Apply   There are two stages in the application process, including an initial concept paper and a subsequent full proposal (if invited). Applicants must follow the instructions and use the templates provided in the RWJF online system. The deadline for receipt of concept papers is January 7, 2015 (3 p.m. ET).  More details and how to apply

Input Needed for a Diabetes Management Study

“A research team at the University of Virginia is interested in learning more about how people with Type 2 diabetes take care of their health. Check out the link to their group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiabetesManagementStudyCommunity/.

Feel free to pass this link on to others you believe would be interested.”
I understand that you may want to know more about this project, so I’m happy to answer any questions you may have about our research. We also have a lot of information on our group’s page, which you are more than welcome to check out.

CURRENT RESEARCH: African American women have a harder time losing weight

 African American women who follow the same diet as white women and exercise just as much tend to lose less weight because they burn fewer calories, a new study by the International Journal of Obesity suggests.

James DeLany from the University of Pittsburgh and his colleges studied 39 African American women and 66 white women. The participants were all severely obese and were randomly assigned to either a calorie-restricted diet alone or the diet along with exercise guidelines.

The researchers measured women’s daily energy expenditure at the beginning and end of the study. They also tracked their physical activity using wearable monitors.

By the end of the six-month intervention, white women had lost an average of 24 pounds and African American women had lost an average of 16 pounds, according to findings published in the International Journal of Obesity.

But the African American women had increased their physical activity by as much as white women and they followed the prescribed diet just as closely.

DeLany said that according to his findings, African American women would have to eat about 150 fewer calories per day than their white peers – or work out that much more – to lose the same amount of weight.

To Read More: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/03/us-african-american-women-weight-idUSBREA020TH20140103

The Journal article can be found at: http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/vaop/naam/pdf/ijo2013240a.pdf

CURRENT RESEARCH: Vitamin D Deficiency Might Be Overdiagnosed in Blacks, Study Suggests

A Study finds that  although, Black adults typically have low levels of vitamin D in their blood,  they are on par with whites when it comes to the “active” form of vitamin D used by the body’s cells, a new study finds.What’s more, the results suggest that doctors may be overdiagnosing vitamin D deficiency in black patients, said lead researcher Dr. Ravi Thadhani, chief of nephrology at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston. More research is needed before anyone diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency should stop taking supplements.

Read More at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_142717.html

UNSCN PHOTO CONTEST: YOUR FOOD, YOUR HEALTH, YOUR FUTURE!

The United Nations  System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN), in collaboration and with financial support from the Public Health and Environment Department of WHO, have launched the photo contest Your FOOD, Your HEALTH, Your FUTURE! The initiative is aimed at young people aged 18 to 25 years affected by changes in their environment and wishing to voice their opinion on the links between climate change, nutrition and health. Deadline to submit photos is 11 of October 2013.

Your FOOD, Your HEALTH, Your FUTURE Photo Contest aims to gather pictures that communicate powerfully about problems and solutions but also encourage action. The three topics to be covered are:
–       the impact of climate change on nutrition and/or health;
–       the impact of food production, food consumption and food waste on climate change and the environment;
–       developing healthier, fairer and more sustainable food systems: addressing food production, food consumption and waste.

They particularly focus on finding pictures that communicate hope, optimism and the possibility of change and that convey a clear message to the scientific, economic and political communities.

An international jury of experts on the issues related to food, health and climate change will judge the images and pick the best pictures.

These pictures will then be used in a 2-minute video which will be shown on 12 November 2013, during theNutrition and Sustainability Seminar organized by the UNSCN in close collaboration with FAO, Bioversity International and the Government of Malawi.  Short-listed images will also appear on the UNSCN website and official publications.

You will find more information about the campaign and photo contest under the following links:
–       UNSCN website http://tinyurl.com/pzpywzy
–       The English Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/633855889980786
–       The French Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/434559296658917

For more information, contact the UNSCN Secretariat. scn@who.int

CURRENT RESEARCH: Teen Eating Disorders increase suicide risk

A recent study on African American girls shows that individuals with eating disorders are likely to internalize their dissatisfaction and anxiety, resulting in a higher risk of suicide. The results of this study will give prevention scientist an opportunity to specifically target those at risk of psychiatric problems (suicide, depression, etc). The study also highlights the importance of developing prevention programs that are culturally relevant to minorities as well as white Americans.

Read more here:  http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/8301/20130722/eating-disorders-linked-suicidal-behavior.htm

CURRENT RESEARCH: Salty snacks, extra pounds send blood pressure soaring in US kids

New research shows that high blood pressure is becoming more common among American children, which can be connected to increasing body mass index and sodium intake (more than a third of children and teens in this country are overweight or obese). The rate is higher for African-American girls compared to boys or other racial/ethnic groups. The damage is both long-term (as risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke increases) and short-term (early atherosclerosis and an enlarged heart ventricle).

 Read more here; http://www.nbcnews.com/health/salty-snacks-extra-pounds-send-blood-pressure-soaring-u-s-6C10639746