Media Mentions – May, 2012

Forget large sodas, how about banning French fries?
Smart policies are essential to America’s “war on obesity.” The latest idea in that fight is a curious proposal from Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City. He’s planning to ban the sale of sugary drinks 16 ounces or larger in public venues such as restaurants and movie theaters. Mark A. Pereira is an associate professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota.
CNN

Kristin Anderson appeared Monday, June 4 on KSTP-TV’s Twin Cities Live to discuss tips for grilling meat to cut down on exposure to carcinogens.
Watch broadcast

Alcohol linked to violent crime in our neighborhoods
Alcohol abuse takes its toll on public health and our communities in many ways, including through higher rates of violent crime. And a new University of Minnesota study has confirmed that neighborhoods with a higher density of alcohol establishments experience more violent crime. But the study also compared neighborhoods with on-premise alcohol sales – such as bars and restaurants – with neighborhoods containing off-site alcohol sales, such as liquor stores. Traci Toomey, a professor of epidemiology at the University’s School of Public Health, led the study.

Self-weighing potential health risk for young adults
Is it healthy for young adults to weigh themselves frequently? That’s what researchers with Project EAT at the University of Minnesota wanted to learn, so they studied more than 2,000 adults with an average age of 25. Virginia Quick, one of the researchers in the study, explains the results. “What we found were that young adults who weighed themselves a few times a week or more were at increased risk or associated with more frequency of unhealthy weight-control behaviors,” Quick said. She added that it is also associated with healthy weight-control behaviors, “unhealthy muscle-enhancing substance use behaviors, and also poor psychological well being.”