Posted Jan 25, 2011
Join together, grab some sandbags, stack them on the levy and don’t get overwhelmed. Nobody has to stop the incoming flood by themselves, but everyone’s got to contribute to a sustained effort.
That’s the message Dr. David Katz, founding director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center and nationally known public health and nutrition columnist and celebrity, delivered to about 150 local health and social services leaders last week in what turned into a kind of call to arms.
The incoming flood that threatens our society’s wellbeing both physically and financially, due to rising health care costs, is the “dire crisis” of childhood and adult obesity that is responsible for up to 80 percent of cases of premature death from heart attack, diabetes, stroke and cancer, he said. When he asked people in the room to raise their hands if they had loved someone who died prematurely of one of these illnesses, nearly all hands went up. Some wiped away tears.
“But if we come together and are willing to cross over to do what it takes to turn knowledge into power, we could bequeath our children lives not touched by this,” Katz, 49, who lives in Hamden, said in a phone interview after his talk. “The knowledge is clear — we need to make better use of our feet, forks and fingers (with regular exercise, better diets and no smoking habit). I don’t need more data. There is a solution. If a building is on fire you don’t need a randomized clinical trial to tell you that you should fetch a pail of water.”
Katz spoke last week to the first joint meeting of three groups, the New London County Food Policy Council, the New London County Health Collaborative and Children First Southeastern Connecticut. All three have identified obesity and poor nutrition as key problems they want to address. After his talk, representatives of the groups stayed to discuss the activities currently going on in the region focusing on these problems and ways to work together on new or expanded initiatives.
“It was very motivational,” said Nancy Cowser, vice president of planning for United Community and Family Service in Norwich and a member of the food policy council. “I felt like I got slapped in the face in a good way.”
Keith Fontaine, vice president of corporate communications at The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich and co-chairman of the food council, said those at the talk have begun meeting to leverage the inspiration they received from Katz to build on the work already being done. Goals already set by the food council, he said, include:
–completing an analysis of the food system in New London County and how to improve it. It would identify, among other characteristics, the “food deserts,” where low-income and third-shift workers have poor access to fresh produce and nutritious foods.
–an assessment of emergency food pantries that includes who receives the food and how often, and the quality of the food. Giving poor people food that’s poor in nutrition “is not really helping the situation,” but only setting more people up for diet-related illnesses, Fontaine said. Cooking classes may also be needed.
–creating programs specifically targeted to obesity-related diabetes, which can also trigger heart disease and cancer.
Fontaine and others at Katz’s talk have been well aware of the obesity problem — Fontaine noted that a recent community health survey by Backus revealed that eastern Connecticut had higher rates than the rest of the state. But his message served as a stark reminder of the consequences of ignoring it, or losing enthusiasm for tackling it.
“By the middle of this century, one in three Americans will have diabetes (unless the trend is reversed). We can’t afford that,” Fontaine said, referring to one of the statistics shared by Katz. “This forced us to think of the enormity of the problem. A lot of light bulbs went off.”
Several who heard Katz’s talk were inspired by some of his practical, low-cost solutions. Laurel Holmes, director of community outreach and partnerships at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London, recalled his suggestion that classroom teachers incorporate five-minute “activity bursts” periodically throughout the day. These are simple exercises students can do at their desks, and, she noted, research cited by Katz shows doing them regularly increases students’ academic achievement and improves behavior. The routine can also be adopted to office settings.
Others recalled his message that nutritious food doesn’t necessarily cost more than junk food. It’s more a matter of teaching people how to identify and prepare nutritious foods, and encouraging them to make good choices. Katz believes the millions spent by the federal government on health care for illnesses related to obesity and poor diets could be reduced significantly if the federal food stamp program included incentives for recipients to make healthy choices.
“We’re squandering our resources,” he said.
Sherry Filiatreault, coordinator of Children First Norwich and one of the organizers of the event, was also excited to learn about the NuVal nutrition rating system developed by Katz. Her group became concerned about the obesity issue after it compiled 2010 statistics showing that 43 percent of the sixth-graders in Norwich are overweight or obese.
The NuVal system, in use at 23 grocery store chains across the country, gives products a one to 100 rating for nutritional value, with 100 being the best. At Big Y, the only local chain using NuVal, the number is displayed on the store shelves next to the product, on the same sign with the unit price and item price. It’s an easy tool consumers can use to make good choices, Filiatreault said.
“The NuVal system takes the guesswork out of knowing which item to buy,” Filiatreault said.
At Big Y, which has local stores in Groton, Mystic, Norwich and Old Lyme, more than 50 percent of items have a NuVal number, said Carrie Taylor, registered dietitian for Big Y Foods. The chain began displaying NuVal scores a year ago. Thus far, customer response has been positive, she said.
“We’re constantly getting updates and getting more things scored every month,” she said.
Katz said the NuVal system has been available to stores since 2008. A team of 15 dietitians develops the score for each food based on the amounts of 30 nutrients and also factors in the quantity of protein, fat, carbohydrates, calories and omega-3 fats. Amounts of sugar, salt, trans fat, saturated fat and cholesterol are counted in to lower the score.
“Manufacturers who make foods that score poorly don’t like this truth meter,” Katz said. “But products are being reformulated in response. The long-term intent is to make changes in our food system.”
j.benson@theday.com
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©2012 The Day (New London, Conn.)