WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? School meals for millions of children will be healthier under obesity-fighting U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) standards unveiled on Wednesday that double the fruits and vegetables in cafeteria lunches - but won't pull French fries from the menu.
In the first major changes to school breakfasts and lunches in more than 15 years, the new USDA guidelines will affect nearly 32 million children who eat at school. They will cost the federal government about $3.2 billion to implement over the next five years.
"Improving the quality of the school meals is a critical step to building a healthy future for our kids," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.
The new meal requirements are part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act championed by first lady Michelle Obama. President Barack Obama approved the measure in late 2010.
The guidelines double the amounts of fruits and vegetables in school lunches and boost offerings of whole grain-rich foods. The new standards set maximums for calories and cut sodium and trans fat, a contributor to high-cholesterol levels.
Schools may offer only fat-free or low-fat milk and must assure that children are getting proper portion sizes, the USDA said.
The new standards will be largely phased in over a three-year period, starting in the 2012-13 school year.
About 17 percent of U.S. children and teenagers are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About one-third of U.S. adults are obese.
FRIES WITH THAT?
Lawmakers altered the guidelines in November. They barred the USDA from limiting French fries and ensured that pizza counted as a vegetable because of its tomato paste.
Trade associations representing frozen pizza sellers like ConAgra Foods Inc and Schwan Food Co as well as French fry sellers McCain Foods Ltd and J.R. Simplot Co were instrumental in blocking changes to rules affecting those items.
Margo Wootan, nutrition policy director for the non-profit Center For Science in the Public Interest, said that the new standards were a big improvement despite food industry lobbying and the congressional revamp.
"The new school meal standards are one of the most important advances in nutrition in decades," she said in a statement.
The Environmental Working Group said the changes could pack a financial punch since they may help reduce medical bills related to diabetes and other obesity-related chronic diseases.
"A healthier population will save billions of dollars in future health care costs," said Dawn Undurraga, EWG's staff nutritionist.
As an example of a new meal, the USDA said an elementary school lunch could be whole wheat spaghetti with meat sauce and a whole wheat roll, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, kiwi, low-fat milk, low-fat ranch dip and soft margarine.
That lunch would replace a meal of a hot dog on a bun with ketchup, canned pears, raw celery and carrots with ranch dressing, and low-fat chocolate milk.
As part of the new standards, schools will receive another 6 cents a meal. The $3.2 billion needed to implement the program for five years covers the cost of food and increased USDA inspections of school menus.
Food and beverages sold in vending machines and other school sites "will also contribute to a healthy diet," the USDA statement said.
The USDA gives school districts funds for meals through its National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs.
(Additional reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles, Editing by Paul Thomasch and Philip Barbara)
We're still in the relatively early stages of the 3D printer revolution, and as such, it's hard to say just how these devices will play a role in our daily lives. We've seen some really cool toys like turtleshell racers and Weighted Companion Cubes, but what about some everyday products? This 3D printed record keeps the Portal printer theme going by cutting our old pal Jonathan Coulton's "Still Alive" into its grooves. The single was printed over at Shapeways and played on a Fisher-Price record player. Video after jump.
LOS ANGELES ? A German man suspected in dozens of arsons that terrorized Los Angeles over the New Year's weekend is expected to arraigned Tuesday.
Harry Burkhart may enter his plea to 37 counts of arson in a Los Angeles courtroom. He's being held on $2.85 million bail and could face several dozen years in prison if convicted.
The 24-year-old is suspected of setting more than 50 blazes that caused an estimated $3 million in damage.
Authorities said they believe Burkhart was angry over his mother's legal troubles and went on a nighttime rampage of burning parked cars. In some of the fires, an incendiary device was placed under the engine area of cars.
Burkhart's mother is facing extradition to Germany where she's been charged with 19 counts of fraud.
A Delta Airlines plane taxis past a gate at Logan Airport in Boston Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. Delta Air Lines said Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, it earned $425 million in the fourth-quarter as it raised prices in the critical holiday season and the airline reduced flying to keep costs low. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
A Delta Airlines plane taxis past a gate at Logan Airport in Boston Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. Delta Air Lines said Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, it earned $425 million in the fourth-quarter as it raised prices in the critical holiday season and the airline reduced flying to keep costs low. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Delta says it earned $425 million in the fourth quarter as it raised prices in the critical holiday season while reducing flying to keep costs low.
The U.S.-based airline said its profit amounted to 50 cents per share. Excluding one-time gains and losses, it earned 45 cents per share in the most recent quarter. In the same period a year earlier, it earned just $19 million, or 2 cents per share.
Revenue rose 8 percent to $8.4 billion. Fuel expenses rose 5 percent. Other costs were flat. The money it made to fly a passenger a single mile (1.6 kilometers) rose 12 percent due to higher fares.
Analysts polled by FactSet Research expected Delta Air Lines Inc. to earn 37 cents per share on revenue of $8.32 billion.
LOS ANGELES ? A trial to decide the broadcast rights of the Golden Globe Awards is set to start after a judge and attorneys resolved last-minute issues concerning witnesses and exhibits.
U.S District Judge A. Howard Matz urged attorneys for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and longtime Globes producers dick clark productions to streamline the case, which could take more than two weeks to be heard after it begins on Tuesday.
The trial will feature testimony from current and former HFPA members, experts and production executives, as well as Dick Clark, who no longer owns the company that bears his name.
At issue is whether producers had the right to negotiate a $150 million deal in 2010 keeping the glitzy awards gala on NBC through 2018.
The press association contends the deal is improper and should be voided.
Nicotine replacement therapies may not be effective in helping people quit smokingPublic release date: 9-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Marge Dwyer mhdwyer@hsph.harvard.edu 617-432-8416 Harvard School of Public Health
Boston, MA Nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) designed to help people stop smoking, specifically nicotine patches and nicotine gum, do not appear to be effective in helping smokers quit long-term, even when combined with smoking cessation counseling, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of Massachusetts Boston.
The study appears January 9, 2012 in an advance online edition of Tobacco Control and will appear in a later print issue.
"What this study shows is the need for the Food and Drug Administration, which oversees regulation of both medications to help smokers quit and tobacco products, to approve only medications that have been proven to be effective in helping smokers quit in the long-term and to lower nicotine in order to reduce the addictiveness of cigarettes," said co-author Gregory Connolly, director of the Center for Global Tobacco Control at HSPH.
In the prospective cohort study the researchers, including lead author Hillel Alpert, research scientist at HSPH, and co-author Lois Biener of the University of Massachusetts Boston's Center for Survey Research, followed 787 adult smokers in Massachusetts who had recently quit smoking. The participants were surveyed over three time periods: 2001-2002, 2003-2004, and 2005-2006. Participants were asked whether they had used a nicotine replacement therapy in the form of the nicotine patch (placed on the skin), nicotine gum, nicotine inhaler, or nasal spray to help them quit, and if so, what was the longest period of time they had used the product continuously. They also were asked if they had joined a quit-smoking program or received help from a doctor, counselor, or other professional.
The results showed that, for each time period, almost one-third of recent quitters reported to have relapsed. The researchers found no difference in relapse rate among those who used NRT for more than six weeks, with or without professional counseling. No difference in quitting success with use of NRT was found for either heavy or light smokers.
"This study shows that using NRT is no more effective in helping people stop smoking cigarettes in the long-term than trying to quit on one's own," Alpert said. He added that even though clinical trials (studies) have found NRT to be effective, the new findings demonstrate the importance of empirical studies regarding effectiveness when used in the general population.
Biener said that using public funds to provide NRT to the population at large is of questionable value, particularly when it reduces the amount of money available for smoking interventions shown in previous studies to be effective, such as media campaigns, promotion of no smoking policies, and tobacco price increases.
Smoking cessation medications have been available over the counter since 1996, yet U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics show that the previous adult smoking rate decline and quitting rates have stalled in the past five years.
###
Funding for the study was provided by the National Cancer Institute, State and Community Tobacco Control Interventions Research Grant Program.
"A Prospective Cohort Study Challenging the Effectiveness of Population-based Medical Intervention for Smoking Cessation," Hillel R. Alpert, Gregory N. Connolly, Lois Biener. Tobacco Control, doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2011-050129, online January 9, 2012.
Visit the HSPH website for the latest news, press releases and multimedia offerings.
Harvard School of Public Health (http://www.hsph.harvard.edu) is dedicated to advancing the public's health through learning, discovery, and communication. More than 400 faculty members are engaged in teaching and training the 1,000-plus student body in a broad spectrum of disciplines crucial to the health and well being of individuals and populations around the world. Programs and projects range from the molecular biology of AIDS vaccines to the epidemiology of cancer; from risk analysis to violence prevention; from maternal and children's health to quality of care measurement; from health care management to international health and human rights. For more information on the school visit: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu
HSPH on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/HarvardHSPH
HSPH on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/harvardpublichealth
HSPH on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/HarvardPublicHealth
HSPH home page: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Nicotine replacement therapies may not be effective in helping people quit smokingPublic release date: 9-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Marge Dwyer mhdwyer@hsph.harvard.edu 617-432-8416 Harvard School of Public Health
Boston, MA Nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) designed to help people stop smoking, specifically nicotine patches and nicotine gum, do not appear to be effective in helping smokers quit long-term, even when combined with smoking cessation counseling, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of Massachusetts Boston.
The study appears January 9, 2012 in an advance online edition of Tobacco Control and will appear in a later print issue.
"What this study shows is the need for the Food and Drug Administration, which oversees regulation of both medications to help smokers quit and tobacco products, to approve only medications that have been proven to be effective in helping smokers quit in the long-term and to lower nicotine in order to reduce the addictiveness of cigarettes," said co-author Gregory Connolly, director of the Center for Global Tobacco Control at HSPH.
In the prospective cohort study the researchers, including lead author Hillel Alpert, research scientist at HSPH, and co-author Lois Biener of the University of Massachusetts Boston's Center for Survey Research, followed 787 adult smokers in Massachusetts who had recently quit smoking. The participants were surveyed over three time periods: 2001-2002, 2003-2004, and 2005-2006. Participants were asked whether they had used a nicotine replacement therapy in the form of the nicotine patch (placed on the skin), nicotine gum, nicotine inhaler, or nasal spray to help them quit, and if so, what was the longest period of time they had used the product continuously. They also were asked if they had joined a quit-smoking program or received help from a doctor, counselor, or other professional.
The results showed that, for each time period, almost one-third of recent quitters reported to have relapsed. The researchers found no difference in relapse rate among those who used NRT for more than six weeks, with or without professional counseling. No difference in quitting success with use of NRT was found for either heavy or light smokers.
"This study shows that using NRT is no more effective in helping people stop smoking cigarettes in the long-term than trying to quit on one's own," Alpert said. He added that even though clinical trials (studies) have found NRT to be effective, the new findings demonstrate the importance of empirical studies regarding effectiveness when used in the general population.
Biener said that using public funds to provide NRT to the population at large is of questionable value, particularly when it reduces the amount of money available for smoking interventions shown in previous studies to be effective, such as media campaigns, promotion of no smoking policies, and tobacco price increases.
Smoking cessation medications have been available over the counter since 1996, yet U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics show that the previous adult smoking rate decline and quitting rates have stalled in the past five years.
###
Funding for the study was provided by the National Cancer Institute, State and Community Tobacco Control Interventions Research Grant Program.
"A Prospective Cohort Study Challenging the Effectiveness of Population-based Medical Intervention for Smoking Cessation," Hillel R. Alpert, Gregory N. Connolly, Lois Biener. Tobacco Control, doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2011-050129, online January 9, 2012.
Visit the HSPH website for the latest news, press releases and multimedia offerings.
Harvard School of Public Health (http://www.hsph.harvard.edu) is dedicated to advancing the public's health through learning, discovery, and communication. More than 400 faculty members are engaged in teaching and training the 1,000-plus student body in a broad spectrum of disciplines crucial to the health and well being of individuals and populations around the world. Programs and projects range from the molecular biology of AIDS vaccines to the epidemiology of cancer; from risk analysis to violence prevention; from maternal and children's health to quality of care measurement; from health care management to international health and human rights. For more information on the school visit: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu
HSPH on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/HarvardHSPH
HSPH on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/harvardpublichealth
HSPH on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/HarvardPublicHealth
HSPH home page: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
PHILADELPHIA?? The Archdiocese of Philadelphia plans to shutter about a quarter of its Roman Catholic high schools and close or combine nearly 30 percent of its elementary schools mainly because of rising costs and low enrollment, officials said Friday.
Only on msnbc.com
Updated 43 minutes ago
1/6/2012 11:45:47 PM +00:00
NBC/Marist poll: Romney leads by 20 points in NH
Updated 61 minutes ago
1/6/2012 11:28:02 PM +00:00
Chinese try to put lid on Western-style TV
Obama faces constitutional questions over recess appointments
In 'It Takes A Family,' Santorum?s views are an open book
Diver's treasure: 1923 class ring, grateful family
New virus steals your cash ? but you won't notice
In Poland, unburying a nation?s Jewish past
The moves spurred by an internal, yearlong analysis of the struggling school system will displace almost 24,000 students and leave the region with four fewer high schools and 44 fewer elementary schools at the beginning of the next academic year.
"We can't afford to fool ourselves," Archbishop Charles Chaput said at a news conference. "We need an honest response to serious losses that have been happening year after year in some of our schools. And this will continue to happen if we do nothing."
The system's current enrollment of 68,000 students is the same number the archdiocese served in 1911. It also represents a 35 percent drop in the student population since 2001.
Smaller families, shifting demographics, an increase in charter schools and Catholic schools' rising tuition have combined to siphon off many students. The archdiocese had already closed 30 schools over the past five years, leaving 178 schools in the city and four surrounding counties.
The closures announced Friday would bring the school total to 130.
"It's extremely sad," said Rita Schwartz, president of the local chapter of the Association of Catholic Teachers. "Right now, there is a grieving process going on in 44 elementary schools and four high schools."
Officials estimated about 1,700 teachers and 85 administrators would be displaced and have to reapply for positions in newly consolidated schools. Superintendent Mary Rochford estimated that about 300 teachers could be out of jobs once the dust has settled.
The planned closures are technically recommendations made by the archdiocese's Blue Ribbon Commission, a 16-member task force of church officials and laity created in December 2010 by Chaput's predecessor, Cardinal Justin Rigali.
Officials stressed at the time that the commission's goal was not necessarily to come up with a list of schools to close but to devise a comprehensive plan to ensure high-quality, affordable and accessible religious education.
On Friday, Chaput indicated that he would accept the commission's recommendations, barring any major factual errors in the group's 37-page report.
Catholic education nationwide has suffered for years from the double whammy of rising costs and dwindling enrollment, forcing tuition hikes that make the schools increasingly unaffordable.
In Philadelphia, the commission's analysis revealed that the average parish subsidy to schools had grown from $255,000 to $320,000 over the past 10 years. It also showed that elementary school tuition rates fell $1,500 short of the actual cost of educating each child.
Tuition varies among Catholic schools in Philadelphia, but the mean annual elementary tuition in the U.S. is $3,383, according to the National Catholic Education Association. The mean annual high school tuition is $8,787.
The commission's report also set forth strategies for sustaining the Catholic system for future generations. Philadelphia has the second-highest enrollment among dioceses nationwide, just behind Chicago, according to the education association.
The group called for the establishment of a philanthropic education foundation to help underwrite operations; for benefactors to consider sponsoring troubled schools; and for supporters to push for voucher legislation at the state Capitol.
"These recommendations are not about reshuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic," said commission member H. Edward Hanway. "Implemented well, these recommendations will fundamentally reposition our schools, making them academically stronger as well as financially more stable, better able to compete and grow ? yes, grow ? in the years ahead."
Chaput, who was just installed as archbishop a few months ago after Rigali retired, said he was told the commission's proposals could mean the archdiocese might go 10 to 15 years without more school closings.
He also stressed that Catholic school closings affect educational choices for families of all faiths. Especially in troubled urban neighborhoods, Catholic schools are often seen as a safer and more enriching alternative to failing public schools.
Mayor Michael Nutter issued a statement Friday that read in part: "Let's not forget that we are one city, and we're all in this together."
Nationwide, Catholic schools have lost more than 587,000 students since 2000, according to the National Catholic Education Association. At least 1,750 schools have closed.
___
Associated Press writer Patrick Walters contributed to this report.
___
Online:
Blue Ribbon Commission report: www.faithinthefuture.com
___
Follow Kathy Matheson at www.twitter.com/kmatheson
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uIp-dCTVmScZVwyI7UFsAjZHYeqsbuvzYU1w2UQCOMNrMXeW5fZYjO5EJqw9a1S0Pfva1_XINvcde4i7__yUlj8ZumvFbkpco3Nt6L9Zc=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 9-Jan-2012
Share ]