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AJPH NEWS Release

EMBARGOED UNTIL March 3, 2004, 4:00 PM (ET)
CONTACT: For copies of articles, contact Natalie Raynor, (202) 777-2511, natalie.raynor{at}apha.org

All articles are online at www.ajph.org after the embargo.
To view the preliminary table of contents, visit www.ajph.org/future/94.3.shtml

American Journal of Public Health: March 2004 Highlights

• Obese women face pay discrimination
• Daily 15-minute walk
• People with disabilities often live with myriad health problems
• Suicide prevention program helps high schoolers lower their risk
• School snack bars squeeze out healthy food choices
• Overweight kids

The articles highlighted below appear in the March 2004 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, the Journal of the American Public Health Association.

____________________

Obese women face pay discrimination
Obesity is a barrier for women when it comes to income, especially among women at the higher end of the pay scale. According to a population-based study of 2,068 women and 2,314 men, obese women with higher education or in upper white-collar positions had significantly lower income than their normal-weight counterparts. A small income disadvantage was recorded in overweight women with secondary education and among manual workers. In the study based in Finland, excess body weight was not linked to income disadvantages in men. Earlier studies have shown companies are less likely to hire overweight women. "As suggested by our study, obesity may worsen qualified women's labor market performance and their income level," said the study's authors, who suggested further research into the issue. "Attitudes toward the obese should be a concern among the employed as well, and all necessary measures should be taken against weight-related discrimination at workplaces."
[From: "Relative Weight and Income at Different Levels of Socioeconomic Status." Contact: Eero Lahelma, Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Finland, eero.lahelma{at}helsinki.fi.]

Forget 10-mile runs and excruciating aerobics sessions at the gym
Even small increases in a person's physical activity may prevent weight gain in most people, according to a study of 6,000 Geneva's adults. Researchers studied 1997-2001 physical activity data among some 3,000 men and 3,000 women. A daily 15-minute walk would be enough to improve the overall health of the population, according to the study. But 30 minutes of moderate or brisk walking or 60 minutes of slow walking is required for weight control. The study's authors are using the data to promote brisk walking among city residents as a means to achieve better health across a broad population. "The walking habits may grow more rapidly once it has been adopted by a minority, and it may stimulate weight-reducing dietary changes," the researchers said.
[From: "Does Walking 15 Minutes per Day Keep the Obesity Epidemic Away? Simulation of the Efficacy of a Populationwide Campaign." Contact: Alfredo Morabia, MD, PhD, Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospitals, alfredo.morabia{at}hcuge.ch.]

People with disabilities often live with myriad health problems
People with disabilities are much more likely than the general population to suffer from common conditions such as sleep problems, depression and feelings of isolation, according to the first study to show such problems across a wide population. Having a disability directly increases the likelihood of having these preventable "secondary" physical, mental and social conditions that can range from serious anxiety to problems making friends. Researchers conducted a telephone survey of 2,075 Washington residents and found the rate of secondary conditions among respondents with disabilities was often more than double that of the general population. For example, 14.2 percent of non-disabled respondents complained of chronic pain in muscles or joints, compared to 55.6 percent of disabled respondents. Only 6.3 percent of non-disabled respondents reported lack of romantic relationships, compared to 14.9 percent of disabled respondents. The study's authors said older adults with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to depression, asthma and social isolation and should be a particular "focus of concern" among health care providers.
[From: "Prevalence of Secondary Conditions Among People With Disabilities." Contact: Susan Kinne, Center for Disability Policy and Research, Seattle, susaki@u.washington.edu.]

Suicide prevention program helps high schoolers lower their risk
The risk of suicide among high school students can be cut dramatically by a prevention program that teaches kids to recognize the signs of depression and tell a trusted adult when they are concerned about themselves or a friend. In a study of 2,100 public high school students in Georgia and Connecticut, those who had been through the Signs of Suicide (SOS) education program were 40 percent less likely to attempt suicide than a control group. Exposure to the SOS program also resulted in a better understanding of and more adaptive attitudes toward the signs of depression and suicide risk. The study was conducted three months after students had completed the SOS program, revealing a "substantively important short-term impact on the attitudes and behaviors of high school-aged youths in high-risk settings," the study's authors said. The students in the study came from three schools in Hartford, Conn., and two schools in Columbus, Ga., and represented a racially mixed sample of teens from various socioeconomic backgrounds.
[From: "An Outcome Evaluation of the SOS Suicide Prevention Program." Contact: Robert H. Aseltine Jr., PhD, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Community Health, University of Connecticut Health Center, aseltine{at}uchc.edu.]

School snack bars squeeze out healthy food choices
Middle school students with access to school snack bars are more likely to drink soda and eat fried foods and consume fewer fruits and vegetables compared to students who don't have such snack bar access. A study of 594 fourth- and fifth-grade students found that in the time a student graduated from elementary school and went to a middle school with a snack bar, consumption of fruits, vegetables and milk decreased 33 percent, 42 percent and 35 percent, respectively. In the same time period, servings of high-fat vegetables such as french fries and potato chips and sweetened beverages went up 68 percent and 62 percent.
[From: "Fruits, Vegetables, Milk, and Sweetened Beverages Consumption and Access to a la Carte/Snack Bar Meals at School." Contact: Karen Weber Cullen, DrPH, RD, LD, Baylor College of Medicine, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston, kcullen{at}bcm.tcm.edu.]

Overweight is a problem with very young children
Children need help with exercise and a healthy diet at a young age in order to reduce their risk of obesity, and those messages need to be culturally specific. A study of 557 children enrolled in a New York City Women, Infants and Children (WIC) supplemental food program found that 40 percent of the children were overweight or at risk for overweight. Hispanic children were twice as likely to be overweight, and weight problems tended to show up between ages 2 and 3. Some clues as to why such a large percentage of this population was overweight: 73 percent of the children came from families that drank whole milk and 44 percent of children ate fruits and/or vegetables less than once a day.
[From: "Childhood Overweight in a New York City WIC Population." Contact: Jennifer Nelson, MPH, MHRA, New York, NY, jnelson{at}mhra.org

The American Journal of Public Health is the monthly journal of the American Public Health Association, the oldest and largest organization of public health professionals in the world. APHA is a leading publisher of public health-related books and periodicals promoting high scientific standards, action programs and policy for good health. More information is available at www.apha.org.

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