News (External)

Deep-rooted child obesity issue in Texas and Waco area offers no quick fixes

Deanna Hoelscher, PhD, RD, was interviewed by the Waco Tribune-Herald about the prevalence of childhood obesity in Texas.

News (External)

Houston mother, 6-year-old son, battle long COVID

A study led by Sarah Messiah, PhD, MPH, which showed some children suffer from long COVID, was mentioned in a Texas Standard segment.

News (External)

Adolescents with severe obesity lost weight, kept it off, and erased comorbidities after bariatric surgery

Research led by Sarah Messiah, PhD, MPH, which found that adolescents with severe obesity saw positive outcomes after bariatric surgery, was covered by Medical Xpress, Bioengineer.org, Science Magazine, and Endocrinology Network.

News (External)

Synagogues collaborating to help enable food security, nutritional self sufficiency

Shreela Sharma, PhD, RDN, was interviewed by the Jewish Herald-Voice about a nonprofit, Brighter Bites, which is affiliated with UTHealth School of Public Health and aims to address food insecurity among low-income families.

News (External)

Back to School: The Dangers of Kids and Vaping

Steven Kelder, PhD, MPH, talked to FOX 26 News about the dangers of vaping for children and adolescents.

News (External)

Educators, other experts aim to build momentum in fight against youth vaping

CATCH My Breath, developed by UTHealth School of Public Health, was included in an American Heart Association story that was picked up by Chron.com, the Beaumont Enterprise, the Laredo Morning Times, HealthDay, and other publications about initiatives to deter vaping in children and adolescents.

Blog

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15-October 15 each year in the United States to recognize the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. Center staff member Alejandra Gonzalez shares what being Hispanic means to her, and local events to join in on the celebrations.

News (External)

Clinical trial comparing concussion treatments now recruiting adolescent patients

Gregory Knell, PhD, is investigating the effects of different treatments, including light exercise and screen time restrictions, on recovery from a sport-related concussion among adolescents.

Blog

Teachers hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic

In the 2019-2020 school year, 4 million schoolteachers served approximately 60 million children in the United States. Historically, teachers have experienced lower wages, greater imbalances in effort and reward, unhealthy lifestyles, higher levels of food insecurity, greater work stress, and more signs of poor physical and mental well-being. However, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers have been subjected to a different level of financial crisis, exhaustion and burnout. As part of the Sharma Doctoral Fellowship, in partnership with Brighter Bites non-profit organization, two Sharma fellows, Fangyu Li and Nivi Parthasarathy, assessed the impact of social determinants of health on schoolteachers’ food insecurity and stress.

Blog

August Healthy Summer Challenge: Why Sleep is Important

Sleep has always been one of the cornerstones of good health. Despite data showing the benefits of sleep, our Internet-connected world provides content around the clock, making it difficult for adults and children to get enough sleep. However, a recent study shows that the effects of lack of sleep might be more damaging than previously thought.

News (External)

Dietician shares brain-boosting breakfast ideas to start the school year off right for your children

Dolores Woods, MA, RDN, talked to KHOU-TV Channel 11 about preparing a healthy breakfast for your children as kids are heading back to school.

News

Lunch is in the Bag! (English)

Dr. Deanna Hoelscher spoke with Mas Mujer Austin about packing healthy lunch for kids for back to school.

News (External)

El Almuerzo esta en la Lonchera (Español)

Dr. Deanna Hoelscher spoke with Mas Mujer Austin about healthy lunches for kids for back to school.

News (External)

Children infected with a mild case of COVID-19 can still develop long COVID symptoms

Center faculty Drs. Messiah, Kohl and Kelder were featured in an article from UTHealth on long COVID and children.

Blog

August Healthy Summer Challenge

Each month this Summer, the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living has been focusing on ways to stay healthy while school is out. In June, we shared nutritious challenges and healthy food substitutions for a balanced diet. In July, we challenged you to incorporate more physical activity into your day. For the month of August, we’re focusing on promoting good sleep habits and mental health with our Healthy Summer Challenge calendar. This is the perfect month to build healthy sleep habits before the school year begins, as good sleep is essential to good health!

Blog

Get to Know Center Faculty: Dr. Lindi Chuang

Dr. Ru-Jye (Lindi) Chuang is a Faculty Associate at the UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston and a member of the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living. Her journey to public health began in Taiwan, where she grew up and majored in public health in college. Her true interest started when she did an internship with the Health Department at her hometown during her senior year of college.

Blog

July Healthy Summer Challenge: Stretching

This month for our Healthy Summer Challenge, we’re focusing on Physical Activity. Today’s challenge is “stretch with a friend.” Make sure to bring plenty of water to stay hydrated if you plan on stretching outside!

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July Healthy Summer Challenge

This Summer, the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living challenges you to complete fun activities with your kids to build healthy habits while school is out. Each month we’re focusing on a new set of challenges, and July’s focus is on physical activity.

Blog

Association of masking policies with mask adherence and distancing during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic

Dr. Deanna Hoelscher, Raja Malkani, and Kathleen Manuel from the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living collaborated on the Systematic Observation of Mask Adherence and Distancing (SOMAD) Project. Using the SOMAD protocol created by Kaiser Permanente, Studio Ludio, San Diego State University (ret), and RAND Corp, 16 faculty members and their students across the United States observed individuals in public spaces to determine the quantification of the impact of local masking policies to the SARS-COV-2 pandemic.

News

June Healthy Summer Challenge Recipe

Today, for National Eat Your Veggies Day, we’re sharing a recipe from the “How Good Food Works from Seed to Plate” cookbook, authored by our very own Center faculty. This delicious kale and apple salad is perfect for hot days and getting those veggies in!