At a Big Church, a Small Group Health Solution

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/10/at-a-big-church-a-small-group-health-solution

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

10 November 2011

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The best way to lose weight is to join a small group. This article looks at the case study of Saddleback Church in southern California that mixed faith and peer support to help congregates lose weight, including the pastor. Surveys found that 72% of participants lost weight as a result of the program.

At a YMCA Near You, a Course for a Diabetic Nation

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/03/at-a-ymca-near-you-a-course-for-a-diabetic-nation

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

3 July 2014

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We know how to prevent diabetes - but the U.S, medical system, with its twisted priorities, doesn’t cover prevention. A new program at the YMCA aims to build structured, effective prevention measures.

Closing the Broccoli Gap

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/05/closing-the-broccoli-gap

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

5 June 2015

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The lack of access to healthy food has always been a problem for the financially unstable. Food stamps can now be used to buy fresh produce at farmers markets, but greater success could be achieved by getting grocery stores involved.

FDA's ‘terrible policy error' blocks simple step to prevent fatal birth defects

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/tweak-to-corn-flour-could-help-prevent-fatal-birth-defects-growing-in-3-wash-counties

JoNel Aleccia

The Seattle Times

11 July 2015

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The life-saving vitamin folic acid is added to flour in the United States, but Hispanics tend to eat little flour. Adding folic acid to corn flour would reduce birth defects in Hispanic women in the U.S.

Fewer dropouts, more degrees: How Walla Walla Community College does it

http://seattletimes.com/html/education/2023636445_edlabwallawallaxml.html

Katherine Long

The Seattle Times

17 May 2014

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Individualized advice and counseling, boosted by software tools, is helping hundreds more students earn degrees and certificates each year at Walla Walla Community College in Washington.

Fruit, Not Fries: Lunchroom Makeovers Nudge Kids Toward Better Choices

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/03/29/175710393/fruit-not-fries-lunchroom-makeovers-nudge-kids-toward-better-choices

Kevin Charles Redmon

NPR

2 April 2013

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With child obesity on the rise, public school students have lacked the motivation and access to eat healthy food. Different programs around the country aim to improve student diet in public schools, including Real Eats for Academics and Life in Los Angeles and Cornell’s Smarter Lunchrooms Movement, by emailing nutrition report cards to parents, presenting the healthy food with aesthetic pleasure, and the arrangement of the food for access.

Helping Brazil's Poor Heal at Home

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/11/helping-rios-poor-continue-to-heal-at-home

David Bornstein

The New York Times

11 December 2013

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Physical illnesses trigger and exacerbate poverty because costs are too high to treat them. The Associação Saúde Criança in Rio de Janeiro counsels helps by assisting families with services such as food, medicine, vocational training, housing, and legal aid, which helps mothers achieve their personal goals.

Improving School Lunch by Design

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/16/rethinking-school-lunch

Courtney E. Martin

The New York Times

16 October 2013

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The San Francisco Unified School District is piloting a collaboration with the design firm IDEO to re-imagine the school food system and help combat childhood obesity by better designing the space and the experience of how children eat, as much as the type of food they consume.

For Weight Loss, a Recipe of Teamwork and Trust

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/15/for-weight-loss-a-recipe-of-teamwork-and-trust

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

15 November 2011

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While weight loss can be challenging to maintain, different structures are being created to help. Certain support groups, financial incentives, and tough love are proving to be effective.

Conquering Food Deserts With Green Carts

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/conquering-food-deserts-with-green-carts

David Bornstein

The New York Times

18 April 2012

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Programs to get fresh produce carts to areas with no access to healthy food work best when government and determined entrepreneurs team up. Success from this model is evident in New York City, where the city has incentivized the selling of fruits and vegetables by street vendors in areas that are in the most need of the produce.