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HEALTH & SAFETY
 recommended
highly recommended
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 specialised or technical site
YXC link to youthxchange content
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NUTRITION/OBESITY
Body Mass Index (BMI) – The term BMI is often used when discussing the obesity epidemic, but what is BMI? BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It is a number that shows body weight adjusted for height. BMI can be calculated with simple math using inches and pounds, or meters and kilograms. Thanks to this website, produced by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you can easily calculate your BMI and get all the additional info you need to take your weight under control. Try it! [http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/hiv.html]
“Diet, Nutrition and Prevention of Chronic Diseases Report”, 2002 - A diet low in energy-dense foods that are high in saturated fats and sugar, and abundant in fruit and vegetables, together with an active lifestyle are among the key measures to combat chronic disease recommended in an independent Expert Report prepared for two UN agencies. The report, commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), from a team of global experts, aims to identify new recommendations for governments on diet and exercise to tackle the ever increasing number of people who die each year from chronic diseases. WHO Technical Report 906. [www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/gs_obesity.pdf]
Eating Disorders Support (EDS) - is a student-run organisation working to provide help for those who have problems with food, weight, body image and any forms of disordered eating. They aim to give support and information to those who have current or past difficulties, or are supporting someone else suffering from eating disorders... [www.cusu.cam.ac.uk/campaigns/eds] YXC
FAO: “Food & Nutrition” - Consuming a nutritionally adequate diet is vital for a healthy and active life. Promoting appropriate diets and healthy lifestyles are central activities in FAO's overall mandate of reducing hunger and malnutrition, and promoting nutritional well being for all. News, statistics, publications, and projects on human nutrition and food safety/quality: interesting, well-designed, and friendly website! [www.fao.org/es/esn/index_en.stm] YXC
FAO: “Incorporating Nutrition Considerations into Development Policies and Programmes” - is a brief for policy-makers and programme planners in developing countries, published in 2004. Development aims to provide people with the means and the social and economic environment necessary to lead active, healthy and productive lives. To achieve this objective, developmental policies and programmes need to be directed towards improving the human development potential, including improvement of nutritional well-being. [ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/007/y5343e/y5343e00.pdf] YXC
International Obesity Taskforce (IOTF) - The IOTF is working to alert the world of the growing health crisis threatened by soaring levels of obesity. The TaskForce collaborates with the World Health Organization and has working groups examining a range of issues. The IOTF's mission is to inform the world about the urgency of the problem and to persuade governments that the time to act is now! [www.iotf.org] YXC
“Take a small step to get healthy” campaign - An unprecedented majority of American adults (64%) are overweight or obese due to sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diet and exercise habits. The Obesity Prevention campaign encourages families to make small dietary and physical activity changes, such as using stairs instead of the escalator, or replacing a Sunday drive with a Sunday walk. Here you’ll find “Healthy Lifestyles and Disease Prevention Media Campaign White Paper”, an interesting report jointly produced by the US Department of Health and Human Services and The Advertising Council. [www.adcouncil.org/pdf/obesity_whitepaperfinal_71205.pdf ]
WHO: Global Database on Body Mass Index (BMI) - The overarching aim of WHO's work in nutrition, spearheaded by the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development (NHD), is to prevent, reduce and eliminate malnutrition worldwide. At present, the Global Database on BMI includes only the data for overweight and obesity. However, a systematic collection of data covering the entire spectrum of under- and over-weight among adult populations is being planned. [www.who.int/nut/db_bmi.htm]
WHO: Global Database on National Nutrition Policies and Programmes - The database was established in 1995 initially to monitor and evaluate the progress in implementing the World Declaration and Plan of Action for Nutrition. However, it has been further developed to monitor country progress in developing, strengthening and implementing national nutrition plans, policies and programmes, including multi-sector actions, development of dietary guidelines, undertaking of nutrition surveys, demographic, and epidemiological data. [www.who.int/nut/db_pol.htm]
WHO: “Nutrition for Health and Development” - The fundamental WHO goal of ‘Health for All’ means that people everywhere, throughout their lives, have the opportunity to reach and maintain the highest attainable level of health. This is impossible in the presence of hunger, starvation, and malnutrition. (Geneva, World Health Organization, 2000 - Document WHO/NHD/00.6). [www.who.int/nut/documents/nhd_mip_2000.pdf]
WHO-Europe: “First Action Plan for Food and Nutrition Policy” - The Action Plan guides WHO Member States in developing inter-sector food and nutrition policies to reduce the burden of food-related ill health. The new dynamic global food system will create many new challenges for ministries of health and others interested in protecting public health. A second Action Plan 2006-2010 will be ready for the Ministerial Food and Nutrition Conference in 2006. [www.who.dk/nutrition/ActionPlan/20020729_1]
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