2002 Public Health Symposium

Concurrent Sessions: Changes in the Incidence and Prevalence of Obesity: Gathering the Evidence

Moderator: Theresa Han-Markey, MS, RD
Lecturer, Human Nutrition Program
Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health

Panelists:

Harold Pollack, PhD Associate Professor,
Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health
Adreanne Waller, MPH
Senior Management Analyst
Washtenaw County Health Department
Sheila Gahagan, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics UMHS (morning)
Terrance Joiner, MD
Assistant Professor Pediatrics UMHS (afternoon)

Many statistical indicators show an increase in the incidence and prevalence of obesity across difference age ranges. Children are currently a focus of attention, since eating and physical activity habits are learned early and may continue through long periods of life. Participants will examine methods for identifying the increasing incidence and prevalence of obesity (using such methods as community surveys and observing primary care settings) and what they see as the implications of increasing obesity, especially for children.

Objectives

Identify methods for tracking changes in prevalence and incidence of obesity in different settings, such as county health departments and primary care
Identify implications of increasing rates of obesity, especially among children

Participant Profiles

Sheila Gahagan, MD, is Assistant Research Scientist, Center for Human Growth and Development (CHGD), and Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics & Communicable Diseases, U-M Medical School. She is a behavioral-developmental pediatrician who is currently collaborating with CHGD members, Susan McDonough and Arnold Sameroff, in their research on the importance of environmental risk factors and early infant regulation problems, in determining later behavioral health problems. Dr. Gahagan is particularly interested in "failure-to-thrive" as a symptom of parent-child relationship problems, and is evaluating the efficacy of different treatment options including home visiting and day care. She is also interested in cultural factors and how they affect physician-patient communication. Previous work has involved Hispanic and Native American patient populations. Other on-going research projects include: the effect of poverty on the development of undernutrition and obesity in children; developmentally appropriate feeding of infants; and infant obesity as a risk factor in the development of type II diabetes in American infants.

Terence Joiner, MD, is Director of the Marshall H. Becker Memorial Clinic, a general pediatrics care clinic for uninsured children. He graduated from the St. Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri and completed his pediatric residency at the U-M. He also earned his master's in health services administration from the UM School of Public Health. He is particularly interested in asthma. He also is interested in resident and medical student education and serving indigent populations. Dr. Joiner is the medical director of Ypsilanti Pediatrics.

Harold Pollack, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. His main research concerns infant and child health policy, substance abuse policy, and infant mortality. Dr. Pollack has published widely in public health policy. His recent substance abuse policy research concerns the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of HIV and hepatitis prevention efforts for injection drug users and policy responses to drug use by welfare recipients. His recent maternal and child research concerns trends in childhood obesity, health service use by children with health care needs, and changing risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome. Dr. Pollack was a member of the Institute of Medicine Committee on Nutrition Services for Medicare Beneficiaries. He is the University of Michigan principal investigator for the Genesee County REACH 2010 initiative to reduce racial disparities in infant mortality.

Adreanne Waller, MPH, is Senior Management Analyst for the Washtenaw County Health Department. Adreanne received her MPH from the U-M School of Public Health. In her position as Sr. Management Analyst for Washtenaw County Public Health, Adreanne is responsible for tracking, analyzing and educating the community about the 52 Washtenaw County Health Improvement Plan (HIP) Objectives. She also leads the HIP Assessment Team, identifying community resources, as well as providing policy/data analysis for general public health issues. Adreanne has also worked as an Epidemiologist for the Michigan Department of Public Health, AIDS/HIV Surveillance Division. Earlier positions include Research Associate at the UM School of Public Health, and Medical/Grants Writer and Curriculum Coordinator at the Medical College of Ohio.