By: Nancy Trout, MD, MPH Most Americans do not follow a healthy dietary pattern. This is the conclusion of the recently released 2020-2025 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The theme of this edition is “make every bite count.” This edition marks the first time […]
By: Nancy Trout, MD, MPH Our American culture promotes obesity. Environmental influences steer us to choose unhealthy foods and eat portion sizes that are far too large. Stores and restaurants are awash in highly processed junk foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients. Junk food […]
By: Nancy Trout, MD, MPH The coronavirus pandemic is cracking open many of the fissures that structural violence generates in our society. Structural violence refers to the economic, political, medical, social and legal systems that perpetuate inequity and negatively affect communities. It is not a term we often […]
By: Nancy Trout, MD, MPH On the Partner’s In Health website, Dr. Paul Farmer is quoted: “The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world.” This quote has been on my mind of late, particularly with regard to children […]
By: Nancy Trout, MD, MPH Electronic media has assumed a ubiquitous role in our lives, with both positive and negative effects. Screen time has expanded to include television, computers, video games, phones, and tablets. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued Guidelines on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior and […]
By: Nancy Trout, MD, MPH I recently read an alarming statistic in a pediatric news article: over 90 percent of parents surveyed purchase at least one meal per week for their children in a fast food establishment. Admittedly, fast food is a low cost, convenient and readily available […]
By: Nancy Trout, MD, MPH Physicians have long encouraged people of all ages to remain physically active and now new federal guidelines, as well as a new study published in the journal Pediatrics, provide further motivation for children and families to get moving. Last month, the U.S. Department […]
By: Nancy Trout, MD, MPH As a component of the Kohl’s Start Childhood Off Right (SCOR) program, we include playing with young infants and toddlers and encouraging physical activity as part of a comprehensive obesity prevention strategy. Coupled with breastfeeding promotion and the healthy introduction of complementary foods […]
