Fed Up! would not have been possible without the generous support of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. I am also grateful to many individuals for their assistance and encouragement during the research and writing of this book. First, my thanks to Harvey Fineberg and Mary Wilson, beloved friends and mentors, for suggesting that I write a book for the general audience on this topic. I also thank the members of the IOM Committee on Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth, as well as Cathy Liverman, Linda Meyers, and their wonderful staff. Special thanks to Vivica Kraak, Shannon Ruddy Wisham, and Janice Okita for putting up with my pestering.
On the IOM committee, Shiriki Kumanyika helped guide my reporting and generously read and commented on the entire manuscript; Jeffrey Koplan, Russell Pate, Robert Whitaker, Leann Birch, and Dennis Bier offered valuable feedback on various chapters. I am also indebted to Tom Robinson, Douglas Kamerow, Leann Birch, and Susan Handy
for interviews and other assistance during my research. The committee’s report, Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, was an essential resource during the later stages of my writing.
I especially thank Rudy Leibel for tutoring me in the genetics and physiology of body weight regulation, answering countless questions via e-mail, and suggesting changes that immeasurably improved Chapter 2. Others who helped me learn about the biology of appetite and obesity were Michael Schwartz, David Cummings, Matthias Tschöp, Eric Ravussin, Antonio Tataranni, Robert Nelson, Albert J. Stunkard, and Nicolas Stettler. Julie Mennella taught me about the development of taste and smell in the fetus and infant.
At the National Institutes of Health, Jack Yanovski introduced me to the epidemiology and treatment of pediatric obesity and Philip Smith provided an overview of obesity research. Sue Yanovski and Deborah Young-Hyman helped with my reporting and offered important feedback on the chapters about self-esteem and obesity treatment. Robert Kuczmarski kindly shared his personal and family strategies for building physical activity into daily life.
Special thanks to Bill Dietz and Steve Gortmaker for making available their broad knowledge of childhood nutrition and obesity prevention. The work of Robert Whitaker and Simone French deepened my understanding of environmental influences on food intake and energy balance. At the Centers for Disease Control, my thanks to Venkat Narayan for information on rising rates of diabetes and to Katherine Flegal for explaining the epidemic’s impact on the distribution of BMIs in the population. At the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Suanne Buggy of the Food and Nutrition Service answered my questions about the federal school lunch program.
For help in understanding the psychological impact of obesity on children and adolescents, I am indebted to Michael Rich of Children’s Hospital Boston, to the research of Marla Eisenberg and Deborah Young-Hyman, and to Minda Barnett, Atalaya Sergi, Tracey Saxon, Joyce Green Pastors, and the girls of the Bold and Beautiful Club in Charlottesville. For giving me a close-up look at how kids live today, I especially thank Meagan, her family and friends, and the teachers and administrators at her school (which I do not name for reasons of pri-
vacy); Brian and his mother, Cassandra; English teacher Ray Devenney and his students at Washington, D.C.’s Bell Multicultural High School; my own students at Georgetown Day School; and Christine Mattis, John Hankey, and the students at D. W. Griffith Junior High School in East Los Angeles.
Nazrat Mirza, Larry D’Angelo, and Terry Kind of Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Leonard Epstein in Buffalo, Nancy McLaren in Charlottesville, and Robert I. Berkowitz and Thomas A. Wadden of the University of Pennsylvania shared their expertise on obesity treatment. Daniel Davidow and Anne C. Leary of Virginia’s Cumberland Hospital provided insight into the sobering challenge of treating extreme obesity in children and adolescents. In Charlottesville, Milagros Huerta and Erika Zeff of the University of Virginia Health System allowed me to visit a pediatric obesity treatment program that has been integrated with a primary care system. Surgeons H. David Reines, Thomas Inge, Victor Garcia, Walter Pories, and Harvey Sugerman taught me about bariatric surgery and illuminated the debate over its use in adolescents. Thanks also to Melinda Sothern of Committed to Kids, Bob Mellin of Shapedown, Chris Corcoran of WeightWatchers, and Cathy Garvey of Jenny Craig for information on their programs and to dietitian Susan Baum of INOVA Fairfax Hospital.
For imparting their knowledge of healthy ways of eating, I am grateful to David L. Katz, David Ludwig, Walter C. Willett, and Leonard Epstein. Marion Nestle, Maureen Black, and Margaret Bentley helped me find answers to specific nutrition questions. The work of Barbara Rolls, Leann Birch, Jennifer Fisher, and Jane Wardle taught me much about how the environment influences children’s food intake and preferences. Vivica Kraak and the IOM committee staff provided especially valuable guidance on Chapter 4. Adam, Bruce, Trianna, and their parents proved to me that kids and families can indeed transform their eating habits. Sheila Crye shared insights from teaching cooking classes to children. Esther Cook, Amanda Rieux, and the staff and students of the Edible Schoolyard program at Berkeley’s Martin Luther King Middle School hosted me for an idyllic morning in their garden and kitchen.
In Kansas City, many thanks to Joseph Donnelly, Janet May, and staff members of the University of Kansas PAAC program and to the teachers and students at Briarwood Elementary, Prairie Elementary, and Brookridge Elementary in the Shawnee Mission School District. The work of Tom Robinson, Steve Gortmaker, and Michael Goran especially helped me understand how children’s activity levels and leisure habits influence obesity rates. I am grateful to James Sallis of San Diego State University and to James Hill of the University of Colorado for discussing strategies for increasing physical activity.
Obstetricians Frank Witter and Joan Loveland lent their expertise to the section on pregnancy, and the work of Matthew Gillman, David Barker, and Michael Kramer taught me about prenatal contributors to children’s future obesity risk. Lactation consultant Debbie Tobin of INOVA Fairfax Hospital allowed me to attend her breastfeeding support group and helped me locate resources. My thanks to Linda, Kristen, and their daughters. Barbara Moore’s workshop on environmental influences during pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood proved invaluable.
In Boston, Jill Carter, Stacy Johnson, and Lillian Cheung arranged for me to visit public schools to observe teachers using innovative curricula on nutrition and physical activity. I am especially grateful to principals Shirley Allen of Mildred Avenue Middle School, Deborah Dancy of Channing Elementary, and Suzanne Lee of Josiah Quincy School and to their faculty and students. Epidemiologist Leslie Lytle helped me interpret the CATCH program’s results. Meg Campbell shared the philosophy behind her unique “walking school” at Codman Academy.
At the Food Trust in Philadelphia, Megan McGreevy, Sandy Sherman, Karima Rose, Dan Lewis, Brian Lang, and Hannah Burton shared their organization’s inventive strategies for improving the nutrition of children and adults in their community. My thanks to the children and teachers involved in the student-run fruit stand project at North Philadelphia’s Fairhill Elementary.
The legislative and policy issues surrounding nutrition, obesity, and physical activity can be overwhelming without a road map. For help with navigation, I am grateful to Linda Meyers of the National
Academies, Susan Foerster of the California Department of Health Services, Kim Stitzel and Jessica Donze of the American Dietetic Association, and Leslie Mikkelsen of the Prevention Institute in Oakland, California. My thanks to Lisa Kelly and Parker Lawton of the International Food Information Council Foundation for compiling an invaluable digest of media coverage of obesity. Mary K. Engle of the Federal Trade Commission reviewed the section on her agency’s past efforts to regulate advertising to children, and Susan Linn and Vivica Kraak provided information on current marketing practices. Marion Nestle, Kelly Brownell, Adam Drewnowski, and Roland Sturm gave me a deeper understanding of how economic and political factors influence obesity prevalence as well as prevention and treatment. Joel Gittelsohn introduced me to the Healthy Stores Project.
I especially thank Nancy McLaren and Phil Nieburg for helping me learn how members of one community—Charlottesville—have come together to fight childhood obesity. Peggy Paviour and Barbara Yager of the Thomas Jefferson Health District of the Virginia Department of Health inspired me with their success in documenting the epidemic in Charlottesville and mobilizing leaders and community residents to respond.
My thanks to Tom Wilkinson and Liz Spayd of the Washington Post for allowing me professional leave to write this book, to Rich Chefetz for urging me to take the leap, and to my journalistic colleagues Curt Suplee, Kathy Sawyer, Sally Squires, Rick Weiss, David Brown, Sandy Boodman, Dale Russakoff, Rob Stein, and Madeline Drexler for assistance and advice.
I am grateful for the enthusiasm and professionalism of Stephen Mautner and his colleagues at the Joseph Henry Press, including the design, production, and marketing staff for their stellar work. Above all, I thank my wonderful editor, Mary Kalamaras, for her support, her insightful feedback, her meticulous editing, and her passionate dedication to this project. My thanks to Chris Jerome for her graceful copy editing.
Finally, I thank my husband, Walter Weiss, my sons Peter and Jacob, and my brother Rick Okie for their love and encouragement during the two years I spent researching and writing Fed Up!