Economists 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 Thomas B. Fomby, SMU professor of economics.
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 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.
The school lunch and breakfast programs sponsored by the federal government feed millions of school children annually in hopes of giving them a healthy start.
But new research has found that children who participate in the National School Lunch Program are more likely to become overweight, according to economist Daniel L. Millimet, a professor in SMU's Department of Economics. Millimet's school-lunch research was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which sponsors the National School Lunch Program.
USDA officials, says Millimet, are concerned about a la carte offerings and other school add-ons to the government program because those foods aren't required to meet USDA nutritional standards.
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.