Tag Archives: BMI

News, Politics, Government

Boy Scouts' Jamboree should include those barred due to BMI restrictions, experts say

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By Joshua Rhett Miller

The Boy Scouts of America’s new fitness standards for participating in the organization’s annual Jamboree are so rigorous they would not just exclude chubby tenderfoots — they would even bar many NFL players.

All Scouts were required to have a physical exam in advance of the Jamboree and those with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater were barred from participating at this year’s gathering, which features strenuous activities such as hiking, rock climbing, rappelling and biking. Scouts with BMIs between 32 and 39.9 had to provide additional health information to take on the 1,000-plus acre Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve in West Virginia. But critics told FoxNews.com excluding obese Boy Scouts goes against the spirit of the organization.

Patricia Bannon, a registered dietician and author of “Eat Right When Time Is Tight,” told FoxNews.com she found no issue with the guidelines, but said those who were excluded from the fitness competition should still be allowed to participate in some modified way.

“I’m sure they put a lot of thought into this and consulted with medical experts,” Bannon said. “But a BMI of 39.9 or higher is really high. The obesity rating for BMI is actually 30 or greater and in comparing them to NFL players, those NFL players are very likely to have very high muscle mass. And since BMI is a calculation of weight to height, it’s not a very good indicator for people who are athletes. These children with 39.9 or higher BMIs are probably not coming from a high muscle density.”

But severely overweight and obese Scouts should still be able to participate in some “altered” kind of competition if they are deemed unfit for the Jamboree, Bannon said.

“Unfortunately it still does exclude children due to their weight, but I’m sure they’re looking at their health and potential negative health consequences,” she said. “But maybe they could walk [the course] or do what they can and not be excluded. Anything that the Boy Scouts could do to compensate for the stigma of being excluded would be great.”

The Council on Size & Weight Discrimination said it “deplores” the Boys Scouts decision, calling it “an unfair and discriminatory policy.”

“There are boy scouts who are heavier than average but extremely fit and capable of strenuous physical activity. At the same time, it is patently absurd to assume that just because a boy is thin, that means he is capable of a three-mile hike up a mountain,” the group said in a statement.

The average NFL player would qualify for the 10-day competition, but by no means would the entire league. The average BMI for an NFL player for the 2012 season was 31.35, according to SportingCharts.com, well above the normal range of 18.5-24.9 as set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At 45.64, Michael Jasper of the New York Giants had the highest BMI last season, the website reported. The league’s average nose tackle – with a BMI of 40.50 – would also be ineligible for the Boy Scout’s …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

News, Politics, Government

New health requirements keeping obese Boy Scouts out of national Jamboree

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This year’s Boy Scouts of America’s national Jamboree is being billed as the most physically demanding in its history: There’s rock climbing, rappelling, whitewater rafting and biking. And Scouts will go about the sprawling, hilly landscape the old-fashioned way — on foot.

Thousands of Scouts gather for 10 days starting Monday at a new location in West Virginia. Officials designed the 1,000-plus acre Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve to take advantage of the Mountain State’s natural assets, and they also put into place new physical fitness requirements that eliminated morbidly obese Scouts from participating.

“Part of the design in building this site was to address the need for physical fitness in our youth, which of course is a longstanding component of Scouting,” said Dan McCarthy, director of the BSA’s Summit Group. “We saw this as an opportunity to integrate some new challenges … so we deliberately spread the site to enable us to encourage Scouts and basically require Scouts to move about the site by foot.”

This year, 30,000 Scouts ages 12 to 20 and their leaders were required to meet a threshold for body mass index and other health factors before being allowed to participate. Jamboree applicants with a BMI — a measure of body fat determined through height and weight — of 40 or higher were deemed ineligible. Those who fell between 32 and 39.9 faced providing additional health information to Jamboree medical staff.

Nationally, about 17 percent of children ages 2 to 19 are considered obese — triple the rate from a generation earlier, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We required a level of fitness in order to come to the Jamboree that we haven’t required before,” McCarthy said. “And that has motivated an enormous return in terms of both kids and adults getting serious about improving their health.”

Soon, the Scouts will know why. Besides offering a whole lot of fun, dozens of venues will test their physical skills and fitness. At some point during the Jamboree, every participating Scout will be asked to take a 3-mile trek up a mountain.

Their reward: A barbecue waiting at the top.

“We certainly want to get the Scouts outdoors, challenge them and have a healthy lifestyle,” said Gary Hartley, the Summit’s director of community and governmental relations. “We talk about the three C’s as kind of the pillars, and that is cardio, character and citizenship. We have all of those embodied here.”

From 1981 to 2010, the Jamboree was held every four years in Fort A.P. Hill, Va. That gathering on a flatter, borrowed Army base limited the size and scope of the Jamboree’s operations.

In 2009, southern West Virginia was chosen out of 80 proposals from 28 states as the Jamboree’s new home. Along with being the permanent home of the national Jamboree, whose theme is “Go Big, Get Wild,” the Summit will serve as one of four high-adventure camps for the Scouts and will host the 2019 World Jamboree.

While Scouts will be roughing it outdoors, Hartley said walking won’t be that …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

Health

Why Apple-Shaped People Have Higher Risk Of Kidney Disease

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A new study may help explain why being “apple-shaped”, that is carrying excess weight around the middle, is more closely linked with kidney disease than being pear-shaped, regardless of BMI. Researchers in the The Netherlands found that people with apple-shaped bodies are more likely to have poorer kidney function, plus lower blood flow and higher blood pressure in the kidneys…

From: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/259008.php

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Getting Paid to Lose Weight Really Works

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By Michele Lerner

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Before you take another bite of that doughnut, think about this: If someone paid you $20 to put it down, would you?

A recent study by the Mayo Clinic found that weight-loss study participants who received financial incentives were more likely to stick with a weight-loss program and lost more weight than study participants who received no incentives.

In other words, getting paid to lose pounds really works.

Money as Carrot and Stick

The Mayo Clinic researchers worked for a year with 100 participants, ages 18 to 63, each of whom had a body mass index of 30 or higher, which is considered obese. The goal for each participant was to lose four pounds per month, up to a predetermined target.

The participants were assigned to one of four groups. Two groups got no financial incentives. People in the other two groups earned $20 per month if they met their weight goals. Then there was this twist: Participants in the incentivized group who did not meet their monthly goals had to fork over $20 per month to put in a pool. Those in the incentivized groups who stuck with the study for the entire year were eligible for a lottery to win the cash.

The results were significant: 62 percent of those in the incentivized group lost weight, compared with 26 percent in the non-incentivized group. Even those who had to pay money into the pool had a higher level of complete participation in the study than those who had no financial incentive to continue.

“The take-home message is that sustained weight loss can be achieved by financial incentives,” said Steven Driver, MD, lead author of the study and an internal medicine resident at the Mayo Clinic.

How to Try This At Home

Consumers don’t have to participate in an academic study to see if some cold hard cash convinces them to shed pounds.

HealthyWage.com has run weight-loss challenges tied to financial incentives for more than 100,000 individuals since 2009, according to the company. It has three programs that are structured similarly to the Mayo study, though joining will cost you:

  • The 10 percent challenge: Lose 10 percent of your body weight in six months and your $150 fee will be refunded, plus you’ll earn another $150.
  • The BMI challenge: You can earn up to $1,000 if you move from a BMI of over 30 to one lower than 25 within one year.
  • The Matchup: Teams of five compete to earn cash prizes for weight loss, with a first prize of $10,000.

Of course, there’s always the DIY approach — ask someone you know play “banker” while you work to whittle down your waist. You just have to be sure to choose a person who is stern enough to make you pay up for every gained pound.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Walgreens App Updates Provide Users with the Ability to Print from Instagram

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Walgreens App Updates Provide Users with the Ability to Print from Instagram

DEERFIELD, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Walgreens (NYS: WAG) (NAS: WAG) today announced several updates to its mobile app, most notably the ability to print from Instagram, as well as upload more than five pictures simultaneously for in-store prints. The updates apply to iPhones, iPads and Android devices.

“We know that many people enjoy customizing their photos to reflect the uniqueness of each shot,” said Jasbir Patel, senior director and general merchandise manager, Photo and E-commerce, Walgreens. “Aligning our QuickPrints technology to Instagram helps our customers make those digital images come to life in print form.”

In addition to the robust functionality available, the specific updates include:

  • Print from Instagram: Easily print Instagram photo creations to a local Walgreens for pick up in about an hour.
  • QuickPrints: Users can now upload more than five pictures at a time to send to their local Walgreens for prints.
  • MedHelp: Access to a helpful health reference encyclopedia, track your weight loss, BMI and much more.

On a related note, Walgreens was recently awarded an Appy for the Best Retail Mobile App during this year’s SXSW Interactive Conference.


About Walgreens

As the nation’s largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2012 sales of $72 billion, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) vision is to become America’s first choice for health and daily living. Each day, Walgreens provides more than 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. The company operates 8,071 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Cancer Prevention and the Hidden Risk of Obesity

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By Max Macaluso, Ph.D., The Motley Fool

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Obesity has become one of the most prevalent diseases in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 35% of American adults are considered obese today, and rates of this disease among children are also increasing. VIVUS‘  Qsymia, an obesity drug that became available to physicians last September, and Arena Pharmaceuticals‘  Belviq, another FDA-approved drug for the treatment of obesity that should be launched in the coming weeks, are two new medications that can be prescribed in the fight against this disease. Both drugs are indicated for patients who are either obese, or overweight (i.e., BMI more than 27) and also suffer from hypertension, diabetes, or high levels of cholesterol in their bloodstream.

This may not be a surprise, since obesity is commonly associated with heart problems and cholesterol, but did you know that obesity can also lead to specific types of cancer? The World Cancer Research Fund states that overweight or obese patients can be at increased risk of developing colorectal, pancreatic, kidney, and breast cancers. Whether obesity-fighting drugs will be able to play a direct role in mitigating this risk going forward is debatable, but preventing and treating this disease in the future is one component in the fight against cancer.

Dr. Margaret I. Cuomo, author of the book A World Without Cancer, discusses this topic with Motley Fool analyst Max Macaluso in the following video. A transcript is provided below the video.

Opportunities and risks in the obesity drug market
Biotech companies focusing on treatments for obesity may have massive opportunities, but they also face a number of risks. Can VIVUS pick up its lagging sales and fend off the competition, or will Arena Pharmaceuticals reign supreme in this space? If you’re in the dark, grab copies of The Motley Fool‘s premium research reports on VIVUS and Arena Pharmaceuticals to stay up to date. Senior biotech analyst Brian Orelli gives investors the must-know information, including an in-depth look at the obesity market and reasons to buy and sell both stocks. Click now for an exclusive look at Arena and VIVUS — complete with a full year of free updates — today.

var FoolAnalyticsData = FoolAnalyticsData || []; FoolAnalyticsData.push({ eventType: “TickerReportPitch”, contentByline: “Max …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

New Study for the First Time Shows That Who a Person Emails in Their Workplace Can Predict Their Lik

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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New Study for the First Time Shows That Who a Person Emails in Their Workplace Can Predict Their Likelihood of Being Obese


Offers Method for Mapping a Social Network that Demonstrates BMI Relationship Across Social Connections

BOSTON & NASHVILLE, Tenn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– A new study has found that relationships between coworkers can predict Body Mass Index (BMI) and that corporate email traffic data can now be used to map a social network that identifies connections influential to one’s likelihood of being obese. Published in the peer-reviewed journal, PLOS ONE, the study focuses on testing scalable methods for mapping workplace social networks and investigating how well these network maps forecast BMI. The study mapped a corporate social network at a multi-site company using survey data and readily available data from email traffic. Based on the pioneering science developed at Harvard University by Nicholas Christakis, MD, PhD, MPH, and James Fowler, PhD, this research was conducted jointly by social network analytics firm Activate Networks and the world’s largest well-being improvement company, Healthways (NAS: HWAY) .

“Social influence in the workplace profoundly affects many aspects of our lives, including our health,” said Dr. Christakis. “We have found that social influence is one of the powerful factors, if not the most powerful measurable factor, affecting such health behaviors as weight gain, weight loss, smoking cessation, exercise, mood, and even altruism. This study contributes importantly to our understanding of the power of social networks at work, and it does so by tracing the email communications among people.”

Activate Networks and Healthways utilized corporate email traffic data to identify social connections that proved to predict body mass index (BMI) of individuals in the workplace. The study used data from email traffic that already exists in most organizations, instead of requiring self-reported data, which can often be incomplete, although the study had access to both types of data. The result of the research was a map of the organization that reveals which employees are likely to be the most influential to their peers, and which employees would be more likely to adopt a particular health trait, in this case being either relatively thin or heavy. The study also found that network maps derived from email traffic were comparable to traditional network maps derived from self-reported survey data.

“No previous research has demonstrated that health traits correlate across …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

News, Politics, Government

Want a Promotion? Skip the Snacks, Head for the Gym

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By Roger Dooley, Contributor Fit executives get better performance ratings Those extra pounds could be hurting your chances for promotion, according to research conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership. The Wall Street Journal reports that executives with bigger waistlines and higher body mass index (BMI) were perceived to be “less effective in the workplace, […]
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest