Tag: Daniel L. Millimet

SMU-North Texas Food Bank study will analyze causes of hunger in Dallas and rural North Texas

Post author By Margaret Allen
Post date November 6, 2012

SMU with The Hunger Center of North Texas will look at the impact of social networks and social capital

Economics researchers at SMU will analyze the roles social networks and isolation play in fighting hunger in North Texas.

Recent studies have found that household economic resources are not the only factor contributing to food insecurity, according to SMU economist Thomas B. Fomby.

About 1 in 6 U.S. households are affected by food insecurity, meaning there’s not enough food at all times to sustain active, healthy lives for all family members, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Reidus hilli, John Graf, SMU, coelacanth, Dipluridae,

“This study will analyze the role of other factors causing food insecurity, such as urban or rural settings, access to nutrition assistance programs, access to inexpensive groceries, family support and social stigma,” Fomby said.

Fomby, professor of economics and director of the Richard B. Johnson Center for Economic Studies, and Daniel Millimet, SMU professor of economics, are conducting the study. A $120,000 grant from the North Texas Food Bank is funding the research. The study will be complete in March 2014.

Household income a powerful predictor, but social networks play role
Although household income is the single most powerful predictor of food security, poverty and hunger are not synonymous. According to Feeding America, 28 percent of food insecure residents in Dallas County are ineligible for most nutrition assistance programs because they have incomes above 185 percent of the federal poverty level; and the U. S. Department of Agriculture reports that 58.9 percent of U.S. households with incomes below the poverty level are food secure. The reasons for this are not well understood.

“With this research, we expect to better understand the causes of food insecurity in North Texas and improve the assessment of at-risk households,” Fomby said.

The SMU study is one of two major research projects launching The Hunger Center of North Texas, a new collaborative research initiative created by the North Texas Food Bank. The University of North Texas is also collaborating on a study.

The studies will focus on the impact that “social networks” and “social capital” have on household food security. The central questions are:

How do social relationships and community conditions make it easier (or harder) for low-income households to keep healthy food on the table?
How do these social and community influences differ in the City of Dallas and rural areas of North Texas?

Groundbreaking research may help leverage social forces to reduce food assistance
“We believe that this research will be groundbreaking,” said Richard Amory, director of research for the North Texas Food Bank. “Nutrition assistance programs tend to approach individuals and households in isolation. Understanding the role that communities play in food security may help us leverage social forces to develop more effective programs and, ultimately, reduce the need for food assistance.”

The studies will start to shed some light on issues related to hunger in the community, said Kimberly Aaron, vice president of Policy, Programs and Research for the North Texas Food Bank.

“In performing our due diligence on existing research, while forming The Hunger Center, it became clear that many factors related to food insecurity are not well understood,” Aaron said.

SMU and the North Texas Food Bank recently formed a partnership, “Stampede Against Hunger,” to build on SMU’s strong support for NTFB, connecting campus groups already working with the food bank, as well as encouraging new types of participation for the campus and alumni community.

SMU support for the food bank has ranged from traditional food drives and volunteer work in the NTFB distribution center, to research for the food bank conducted by students in the Cox School of Business and the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering. Faculty and students from the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development volunteer regularly in NTFB nutrition courses and Fondren Library staff organize a “Food for Fines” drive each year, waiving library fines in exchange for donations of non-perishable food items.

Fomby and Millimet are in the SMU Department of Economics in Dedman College. — Nancy George, and the NTFB

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Tags Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development, Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering, Cox School of Business, Daniel L. Millimet, Dedman College, Fondren Library, Richard B. Johnson Center for Economic Studies, SMU Department of Economics, Thomas B. Fomby

Culture, Society & Family Economics & Statistics Health & Medicine Researcher news SMU In The News

Live Strong: How Can Overweight Children Lose Weight Fast?

Post author By Margaret Allen
Post date June 22, 2011

The link between the federal school lunch program and childhood obesity that was uncovered by the research of SMU economist Daniel L. Millimet has been covered by the health articles on the site Live Strong in “How Can Overweight Children Lose Weight Fast?“

The article notes Millimet’s finding that a la carte options such as ice cream and sodas are readily available to children in the school lunch line.

The research, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, found that children who eat school lunches that are part of the federal government’s National School Lunch Program are more likely to become overweight.

The same research study found, however, that children who eat both the breakfast and lunch sponsored by the federal government are less heavy than children who don’t participate in either, and than children who eat only the lunch, said Millimet.

Millimet authored the study with economists Rusty Tchernis, Georgia State University, and Muna S. Hussain, Kuwait University.

Millimet’s study was published in the Summer 2010 issue of The Journal of Human Resources. It is titled “School Nutrition Programs and the Incidence of Childhood Obesity.”

Millimet is a professor and director of undergraduate studies in the SMU Department of Economics.

EXCERPT:

The prevalence of childhood obesity among children increased from 6.5 percent in 1980 to 19.6 percent in 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity is the result of too many calories consumed and not enough calories expended. An overweight child is much more likely to become an overweight or obese adult. A change in lifestyle, healthy eating habits and daily physical activity can help an overweight child lose weight.

Pack Their Lunch
Lunches served in school cafeterias may be one of the causes for your child to be overweight. According to a study done by Daniel Millimet, PhD, professor of economics at Southern Methodist University, many schools are not complying with federal guidelines. His study found that 10 to 35 percent of schools do not supply their students with low-fat lunches. A la carte options such as ice cream and sodas are readily available to your children. By packing their lunch for them you can control what and how much they eat each day.

Read the full story.

Tags Daniel L. Millimet, Dedman College, SMU Department of Economics

Culture, Society & Family Economics & Statistics Health & Medicine Researcher news SMU In The News

Scripps Howard News: SMU’s Millimet on school lunches linked to childhood obesity

Post author By Margaret Allen
Post date September 7, 2010

The link between the federal school lunch program and childhood obesity uncovered by the research of SMU economist Daniel L. Millimet has been reported in The San Angelo Standard-Times in “Study shows obesity has complex origins.”

Writing for the Scrips Howard News Service, reporter Trish Choate quotes Millimet on the research and the link in an article that published Sept. 3 in the Standard-Times.

Millimet authored the study with economists Rusty Tchernis, Georgia State University, and Muna S. Hussain, Kuwait University.

The new study was published in the Summer issue of The Journal of Human Resources. It is titled “School Nutrition Programs and the Incidence of Childhood Obesity.”

Millimet is a professor and director of undergraduate studies in the SMU Department of Economics.

EXCERPT:

SAN ANGELO, Texas — WASHINGTON — A new study indicates a link between childhood obesity and school lunches, as well as a connection between healthier children and school breakfasts.

Elementary schoolchildren eating lunches at schools participating in the federally funded National School Lunch Program are more likely to become overweight, said a professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas who co-authored the study sponsored by U.S. Department of Agriculture.

But children eating both federally funded school breakfasts and school lunches tend to be leaner than those eating only the lunch, SMU economist Daniel L. Millimet said.

“I think breakfast is a more important meal in terms of maintaining a healthy weight than lunch,” Millimet said.

Also, other studies have indicated school breakfasts comply better with government nutrition regulations than school lunches, he said.

Read the full story

Also covering the research is AlterNet’s Emily Badger, with the story “Do School Lunches Plump Up Poor Kids?” The story, which was posted Sept. 3, quotes Millimet on whether there’s a “causal” effect and asks “Does the National School Lunch Program make children obese, or are obese children simply more likely to sign up for the program in the first place?”

EXCERPT:

Students who participate in the National School Lunch Program are more likely to come from lower-income families or families with two working parents who don’t have time to pack a brown-bag lunch the night before. Those same students, as a quick glance around many school cafeterias this fall will show, are also more likely to be overweight.

The challenge for researchers and policymakers has been to sort out the relationship between the two.

“When you just look at those groups

[who participate in school lunch], those are groups also more likely to not be the healthiest kids,” said Daniel Millimet, an economist at Southern Methodist University. “Then there’s a question of whether or not there’s actually something causal going on, or does the perception just reflect people who are self-selecting into the program?”

In other words: Does the National School Lunch Program make children obese, or are obese children simply more likely to sign up for the program in the first place?
Read the full story

SMU has an uplink facility located on campus for live TV, radio, or online interviews. To speak with an SMU expert or book an SMU guest in the studio, call SMU News & Communications at 214-768-7650 or email news@smu.edu.

Tags Daniel L. Millimet, Dedman College, SMU Department of Economics

Culture, Society & Family Economics & Statistics Health & Medicine

Federal school lunches linked to childhood obesity, says SMU research

Post author By Margaret Allen
Post date August 19, 2010

With children going back to school, parents are concerned that their youngsters are staying fit and eating right, especially those who dine in a school cafeteria.

New research funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture finds that children who eat school lunches that are part of the federal government’s National School Lunch Program are more likely to become overweight.

Millimet authored the study with economists Rusty Tchernis, Georgia State University, and Muna S. Hussain, Kuwait University.

“The fact that federally funded school lunches contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic is disconcerting, although not altogether surprising,” said Millimet, whose research looks at the economics of children, specifically topics related to schooling and health.

The new study was published in the Summer issue of The Journal of Human Resources. It is titled “School Nutrition Programs and the Incidence of Childhood Obesity.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture oversees the federal lunch and breakfast programs. Through USDA the federal government reimburses schools for a portion of school lunch costs and also donates surplus agricultural food items. While USDA does require that the meals meet certain nutritional standards, schools choose the specific foods.

A la carte items outside the guidelines
Schools also can serve individual food items a la carte, which fall outside the scope of the federal guidelines and allow students to choose additional foods.

For their study, the researchers analyzed data on more than 13,500 elementary school students. Students were interviewed in kindergarten, first and third grades, and then again in later grades.

“First, it is very difficult to plan healthy but inviting school lunches at a low price,” Millimet said. “Second, given the tight budgets faced by many school districts, funding from the sales of a la carte lunch items receives high priority. That said, it’s comforting to know that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the federal school nutrition programs, takes the issue very seriously. The USDA sponsors not only my research, but that of others as well, to investigate the issues and possible solutions.”

The USDA is partnering with First Lady Michelle Obama to fight what experts say is a childhood obesity epidemic among America’s school children. The First Lady on May 18 released the results and recommendations of The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity report, which said that more than 30 percent of American children ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese. The report recommends serving healthier foods in schools.

Lunches may not be in compliance
Judging from the results of the study, Millimet said, the food being served in school lunches may not maintain a healthy weight in children. The food in school breakfasts appears to be healthier, however.

“Technically what is going on is that the federal government establishes nutrition guidelines for lunches and breakfasts if schools wish to receive federal funding,” Millimet said. “But there’s evidence that school lunches are less in compliance with these guidelines than breakfasts. The other possible issue is that these days schools try to make money from a la carte items at lunch. And it’s possible that even if the school lunch is healthy, kids buying lunch are more likely to tack on extra items that are not healthy.”

Nutritionists strongly advocate eating breakfast for a healthy lifestyle, Millimet said, noting that — up to a point — any breakfast is better than no breakfast.

The National Student Lunch Program supplies meals to about 30 million children in 100,000 public and nonprofit private schools, according to the USDA.

The School Breakfast Program gives cash assistance to more than 80,000 schools for about 10 million children.

Obesity among students takes jump
The study cites data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey taken between 1971 and 1974 and again from 2003 to 2004 that found the prevalence of overweight preschool children ages 2-5 jumped from 5 percent to 13.9 percent. Among school-aged children, it jumped from 4 percent to 18.8 percent for children 6-11; and 6.1 percent to 17.4 percent for those 12-19.

Millimet is a professor and director of undergraduate studies in the SMU Department of Economics. Tchernis is an associate professor in Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, and Hussain is an assistant professor in Kuwait University’s Department of Economics. — Margaret Allen

Tags Daniel L. Millimet, Dedman College, SMU Department of Economics

SMU with The Hunger Center of North Texas will look at the impact of social networks and social capital

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