Calorie Counts on Menus Have Small but Promising Effects
HBNS STORY | May 9, 2013
Menu labeling has made more people aware of how many calories are in restaurant meals and has some people reducing their intake, according to new research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Unwilling to Pay Extra for Wellness
HBNS STORY | April 9, 2013
Although most overweight adults agree that health insurance benefits designed to promote weight loss are a good idea, they don’t want to pay extra for them, finds a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Latest Health Behavior News
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | March 7, 2013 | Health Behavior News Service
Recent health behavior research news stories: Friendships Are Good for Our Health | Obesity Lowers Quality of Life in Boys | Health Centers Have High Satisfaction Rates | Diabetes + Depression Increases Risk of Death

Obesity Lowers Quality of Life in Boys
HBNS STORY | February 19, 2013
Being overweight or obese significantly reduces health-related quality of life in boys, but not girls, when compared to normal weight peers, finds a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Larger Patients: ISO Fewer Lectures, Better Health Care
PREPARED PATIENT ARTICLE
If you're a heavy person, you probably dread medical visits that seem to center on weight, regardless of whether you come in for an unrelated complaint or a routine screening. Even so, don't let that stop you from getting the health care you deserve.

Commuting to Work by Car Linked to Weight Gain
HBNS STORY | January 22, 2013
According to a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, urban residents who drive to work gain more weight than those who do not commute by car.

Obese Teens Have Fewer Friends, Especially Whites
HBNS STORY | July 24, 2012
Obese adolescents tend to have fewer friends at school than their peers, finds a new study in Ethnicity & Disease. However, the impact of obesity on friendships varies by ethnic group, with White students faring worse than Black or Hispanic students.

Being Overweight Years Before Pregnancy Linked to Bigger Babies
HBNS STORY | June 26, 2012
Women who become overweight or obese during the transition from adolescence to adulthood are significantly more likely to give birth to babies with excessive birth weights, according to a new study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Teens Who Check the Scale Frequently May Have An Unhealthy Preoccupation With Weight
HBNS STORY | April 17, 2012
Teens who weigh themselves several times per week may be at risk for unhealthy weight control practices and poor psychological well-being, according to a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Women Veterans Report Poorer Health Despite Access to Health Services, Insurance
HBNS STORY | April 10, 2012
As more and more soldiers return from recent conflicts overseas, new research reveals that female veterans experience poorer health than other women.

Quitting Smoking Results in Minimal Weight Gain
HBNS STORY | February 17, 2012
The declining rate of smoking is unlikely to be a major contributor to the recent increases in the incidence of obesity. While quitting smoking might cause some people to gain weight, the amount gained will probably be small, reports a new study in Health Services Research.

Most People Fudge Numbers on Weight and Height Surveys
HBNS STORY | January 27, 2012
When people in the U.S. are asked to provide their weight for research surveys, they underestimate their weight and overestimate their height, despite numerous public reports about increasing rates of obesity. Whites are more likely to do so than Blacks or Hispanics, finds a new study in Ethnicity and Disease.

A New Year and a New Big Picture Look at Weight Loss?
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | January 9, 2012 | Inside Health Care
With New Years resolutions still fresh, weight loss is all over the news, and many Americans' minds are firmly resolved to lose weight. However, their bodies and fast food restaurants may be equally determined that they fail.

Natural Surroundings Might Lower Obesity
HBNS STORY | September 1, 2011
New research from North Carolina finds that people who live in counties with better weather and more natural features like hills and lakes are more active and thinner than their counterparts.

Dieting Beats Exercise for Diabetes Prevention, Combination Is Best
HBNS STORY | August 30, 2011
A new study suggests that to prevent diabetes in postmenopausal women, dietary weight loss alone is effective while exercise alone is not effective, and both together are best of all.

Excess Weight in Young Adulthood Predicts Shorter Lifespan
HBNS STORY | August 16, 2011
Those 25-year-olds who are overweight now but think they will be fine as long as they lose weight eventually might need to reconsider.

Teen Weight Began to Rise in 1990s, New Study Finds
HBNS STORY | July 12, 2011
A new study that looks at weight change over decades finds that the obesity epidemic in teens and young adults has its roots in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when body weights began to rise. But not everyone was affected equally.

Losing Weight, Keeping It Off Might Require Distinct Skill Sets
HBNS STORY | July 5, 2011
Practices that help people lose weight and practices that help them keep it off do not overlap much.

Obese Mexican-Americans Lack Diet, Exercise Advice From Doctors
HBNS STORY | June 30, 2011
Only half of obese Mexican-American adults receive diet and exercise advice from their physicians, although obesity is on the rise for this group.

Obese Girls More Than Twice as Likely to Be Addicted to Smoking
HBNS STORY | June 21, 2011
Obese teenage girls are more than twice as likely as other girls to develop high-level nicotine addiction as young adults, according to a new study.

Most Primary Care Physicians Don’t Address Patients’ Weight
HBNS STORY | June 7, 2011
Fewer than half of primary care physicians talk to their patients about diet, exercise and weight management consistently, while pediatricians are somewhat more likely to do so, according to two new studies.

Children With Bedroom TVs Might Be at Greater Obesity Risk
HBNS STORY | April 29, 2011
A study of Hispanic children found that those with TVs in their bedrooms were more likely to be overweight. “Bedroom TVs lead to more screen time, sedentary behavior, less parental support of physical activity and increased fast food intake,” researchers found.

Infants Not Exempt From Obesity Epidemic
HBNS STORY | December 31, 2010
A revealing new study finds that obesity might begin in babies as young as nine months old.

Girls Who Start School Earlier Might Have Lower Obesity Risk
HBNS STORY | December 14, 2010
Effective strategies to fight youth obesity have been elusive. A new study suggests a simple step that might help cut the problem down to size: start school sooner.

Treating Women’s Depression Might Help Them Lose Weight
HBNS STORY | December 10, 2010
For women coping with obesity and depression, new research finds that improving your mood might be the link to losing weight.

Behavioral Feedback Boosts Online Weight Program
HBNS STORY | October 28, 2010

For Obese Teens, Weight Problems Persist Into Young Adulthood
HBNS STORY | September 7, 2010

More Walking, Cycling Linked to Healthier Weights Worldwide
HBNS STORY | August 24, 2010

From the Department of "Gosh! Why Didn't I Think of That?"
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | August 18, 2010 | Jessie Gruman
For every problem there is a solution which is simple, clean and wrong.- Henry Louis Mencken

Dorms With Dining Halls Might Add to Freshman Weight Gain
HBNS STORY | August 3, 2010

Early Puberty Tied to Obesity in Girls
HBNS STORY | July 26, 2010

Hormonal Contraceptives Have Mixed Success Among Overweight Women
HBNS STORY | July 8, 2010

Sedentary Behavior Puts White Women at Greatest Risk for Obesity
HBNS STORY | June 29, 2010

Severe Obesity Becoming More Common in Sixth-Graders
HBNS STORY | June 29, 2010

Large Gap in Diabetes, Obesity Screening Among U.S. Health Clinics
HBNS STORY | June 22, 2010

Parents Can Help Overweight Kids With Body Image
HBNS STORY | April 20, 2010

Teen Girls Look to Peers to Gauge Weight Goals
HBNS STORY | March 15, 2010