| Weight-Loss Tips Differ In African-American, Mainstream Magazines
Magazines catering to African-Americans may be falling short in their efforts to educate readers about weight loss, a new University of Iowa study suggests.
African-American women's magazines are more likely to encourage fad diets and reliance on faith to lose weight, while mainstream women's magazines focus more on evidence-based diet strategies, according to the study by UI researcher Shelly Campo, published in a recent issue of the journal Health Communication.
"Three-quarters of African-American women are considered overweight or obese, compared to one-third of all U.S. women," said Campo, an assistant UI professor with appointments in community and behavioral health in the College of Public Health and communication studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Sky Angel to Air Extraordinary Health with Jordan Rubin
WEST PALM BEACH, Fl., Sept. 27 /Christian Newswire/ -- Extraordinary Health with Jordan Rubin, the popular Christian health and wellness show, will begin airing on Sky Angel's satellite service October 1st. Hosted by America's Biblical health Coach Jordan Rubin, the series will reach 13 million Sky Angel® subscribers and focus on weight management issues and health topics. Sky Angel will air the show four times a week: Mondays at 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET, Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET, and Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. ET."I'm excited because this show offers hope for a problem that is predicted to reach epic proportions by 2015 when studies forecast that more than 75 percent of Americans will be overweight," said Rubin. "We show viewers how they can finally get off the weight loss roller coaster and forget about fad diets by embracing a program that will help them manage their weight and achieve abundant health for life."Extraordinary Health with Jordan Rubin features inspiring testimonies from members of the Toledo Church on Strayer who collectively lost more than 1,700 pounds on Rubin's Perfect Weight America program.
Hot new diet drug put to the Healthline test
The new diet drug Alli is a hot seller in the valley. It has been available over the counter for several weeks now. The Healthline 3 Team digs deeper. People everywhere are talking about the results and side effects it can produce. We looked into this new drug to see if it's living up to its hype. Henderson mom Jaime Clear was one of the first people in the country to start taking Alli. "I've lost 19 pounds so far, just in the last 8 or 9 weeks. Jaime received drug samples from Glaxosmithkline back in April. She tells us Alli is working for her like nothing else has. "I've tried starvation, working out a lot, a lot of the fad diets and diet pills and little things over the years and have never had any luck with anything." Alli received FDA approval earlier this year and hit store shelves last month.
Don't call it a 'diet'
When the novelty of fad diets wears off, boredom may set in. Marketers selling gym memberships or low-calorie foods or advice books know they need to present their solutions as fun or tasty or simple. "You're going to have to make this as easy as possible," advised Mr. Balzer. Among the book titles that Amazon listed as selling well last year were "Eat This Not That: Thousands of Simple Food Swaps That Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds -- or More!" by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding; "The 12 Second Sequence: Shrink Your Waist in 2 Weeks" by Jorge Cruise; and "You: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty" by Michael F. Rozen and Mehmet C. Oz. They're all dishing advice, but none of the titles included the word "diet." No matter what everyone agrees to call their efforts, January continues to serve as the traditional month to pitch products designed to help.
Personal Health: News and Notes
Michigan researchers test pedometer's effectiveness Does wearing a pedometer promote weight loss, or is it just another ineffective fitness fad? For an answer, University of Michigan researchers analyzed the results of nine studies involving 307 participants who wore pedometers for a median of 16 weeks. All but one of the studies led to minor weight loss, on average about 3 pounds per person. The longer they stuck with the pedometer-walking program, the more weight they lost, according to the study, published in a recent issue of Annals of Family Medicine. The researchers noted that regular exercise, including walking, not only pares pounds, but reduces diabetes and heart-disease risk and lowers blood pressure. - Marie McCullough In weight loss, it's not what you eat, but what you read Speaking of weight loss, a new study concludes that magazines aimed at African American women are more likely than "mainstream" women's magazines to encourage fad diets and reliance on faith rather than proven fat-fighting strategies.
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