New four-part documentary airs on PBS starting this week
“Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?” features the commentary of Dr. Anthony Iton, who is public health director for Alameda County. One of the key points in the documentary is that health, and life expectancy, is directly correlated with social circumstances. And it’s not just a matter of health care. One of the unusual things about Dr. Iton is his willingness to look at factors such as access to amenities and physical environment in his efforts to address the health of his constituents. Dr. Iton exemplifies an ability to address problems that appear insurmountable with fresh solutions that combine intervention with the natural motivation of people to better their own lives.
Dr. Iton and DooF
We first worked with Dr. Iton and his agency four years ago, in the early stages of DooF. He immediately supported the idea that a television show that got kids excited about good food could help mitigate the alarming levels of obesity he and other public health officials were seeing in underserved communities.
Children from these areas get most of their information about food from ads on television and have less access to stores that sell fresh, healthy food than children from better-off areas. Our first project with Alameda County was a school-intervention with second graders in the Oakland Unified School District.
The program combined the first DooF DVDs with direct participation in the creation of healthy snacks. Those DVDs eventually laid the groundwork for a DooF-inspired curriculum of food education for children that will accompany our television show.
Healthy Food Education
Many programs have brought healthy food to classrooms, but the results have been mixed. The difference, we believe, comes in combining the healthy food with an exciting narrative that allows children make their own associations. In the rapid transformation that Americans have experienced through industrialized society, we’ve lost our connection to the kinds of narratives that involve bringing food from source to table.
Health of Recent Immigrants
One of the alarming findings outlined by Dr. Iton in the documentary is that the most recent immigrants from Mexico and Central America, although poorer than those who have been in the country longer, are actually healthier. It turns out their reliance on a more traditional diet, and less fast food, has a lot to do with it. Recent scientific research, and writers like Michael Pollan, supports this conclusion.
The early support of Dr. Iton and the Alameda County Department of Public Health has been crucial in enabling DooF to expand its efforts to bring the story of good food to children. DooF celebrates the foods and practices of traditional cultures and the new wave of food purveyors that are inspired by them. When we exclude children from the excitement and fun involved in that process, we limit their potential for good health and a longer life.
For more information:
- see the Chronicle article on the documentary
- Documentary website - Unnatural Causes
- and check your local listings for show times
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March 30th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
In addition children who do not eat enough fat can become overweight. Swedish researchers found that eating unsaturated fats such as those found in fish, olive oil, and vegetables, actually helped keep weight down in children.
Nice research you have
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March 31st, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Hi Alex,
Thank you for dropping by!
April 1st, 2008 at 10:53 am
I have been a health writer for more than 35 years and my new campaign is kid’s health. There is no doubt that a critical underpinning of a healthy diet is significant consumption of vegetables and fruit. Unfortunately, many adults do not like these fine foods - so we must make sure kids don’t develop these attitudes. Parents and teachers interested in getting kids to develop friendly feelings towards fruits and vegetables should take a look at a new book called “The ABC’s of Fruits and Vegetables and Beyond.” Out only a few months and already being bought in quantity for class use. Suited for kids of all ages as it is two books in one – children first learn their alphabet through produce poems and then go on to more mature activities. It is coauthored by best-selling food writer David Goldbeck (me) and Jim Henson writer Steve Charney. You can learn more at HealthyHighways.com