by: Fernando Quintero
posted on Tuesday, December 13, 2011
First Lady Michelle Obama recently announced that she will focus more on getting kids to be active in her Let’s Move campaign. Does this mean less time encouraging food companies to make healthier products for kids and stop marketing junk food to them? Advocate Marion Nestle and the White House’s Sam Kass weigh in.
Tags: junk food marketing, Let's Move, Marion Nestle, Michelle Obama, physical activity, public health, Sam Kass
by: Heather Gehlert
posted on Thursday, December 01, 2011
McDonald’s has found a way to skirt a San Francisco ordinance requiring restaurants offering toys to make sure the food that comes with them meets certain nutrition standards. Instead of making its Happy Meals healthier, McDonald’s is now charging for toys. But even if the fast feeder is complying with the law, they are hardly off the hook.
Tags: food marketing, Happy Meals, McDonald's, obesity, public health, San Francisco
by: Pamela Mejia
posted on Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Child sexual abuse isn’t just about courtrooms and arraignments, but you wouldn’t know it to read the newspaper: Too often, coverage focuses on the details of high profile cases but ignores the environments that fostered the abuse. Now we have an unprecedented opportunity to examine both at once.
Tags: child sexual abuse, Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno, Penn State, public health
by: Pamela Mejia
posted on Monday, November 14, 2011
Sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are the single largest source of excess calories for children. Yet in spite of SSB bans on many school campuses and industry promises to limit marketing to kids, youth are still bombarded with ads for these unhealthy drinks.
Tags: childhood obesity, marketing, public health, SSBs, sugar-sweetened beverages
by: Andrew Cheyne
posted on Wednesday, November 09, 2011
This year’s annual American Public Health Association conference was filled with folks thinking critically about the inequities facing our society and proposing creative ways to address them. Here is a snapshot of some memorable ideas and experiences.
Tags: apha, inequities, public health
by: Priscilla Gonzalez
posted on Friday, November 04, 2011
The food and beverage industry’s deceptive and unhealthy marketing practices contribute to the high rates of obesity often found among communities of color. Food Day, an annual event launched recently by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, offers an opportunity to speak out against these practices.
Tags: food and beverage marketing, food justice, health equity, healthy eating, obesity
by: Lori Dorfman
posted on Monday, October 31, 2011
Writing BMSG’s inaugural blog forces me to take stock of where we are and where we’re going. Could I have even imagined a blog, or any of the other new media innovations, when we opened our doors 18 years ago? Back then I looked forward to getting my next email — imagine! — but never anticipated …
Tags: media advocacy, public health