CDC: Poor families don’t eat more fast food

chicken-nuggets-308448_1280Although obesity continues to be a major problem for people in poverty across the United States, a newly released CDC study indicates that low-income families do not consume any more fast food than other Americans. The study challenges conventional wisdom about who eats the most unhealthy fast food.

Time: “[The study] finds that there’s no correlation between fast-food intake and poverty status. Covering 2011 and 2012, the CDC study found that about a third of adolescents and children consumed fast food on a given day. Children in the poorest group, from families earning less than 130% of the federal poverty level (currently about $26,000 for a family of three), get 11.5% of their calories from fast food, compared with about 13% for richer kids.”

Toddler in Texas diagnosed with type-2 diabetes

CBS News reports that a three-year-old girl in Texas has been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes, making her one of the youngest people ever to have the condition. Physicians at a pediatric endocrinology clinic reportedly ran tests on the girl, who weighs 77 pounds. The average weight for a toddler her age is about 35 pounds.

According to medical research professionals with the University of Texas Health Science Center, the incidence rate of children with type-2 diabetes has risen sharply in recent years on a global scale. They also note that currently, type-1 diabetes is still more common in young children than type 2.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are about 5,000 new type-2 diabetes cases for those under the age of 20 each year across the country.

Chicago Tribune: “While [type-2] diabetes can be reversed through early diagnosis and proper treatment…this is often not the case unless a child’s family dynamics are completely overhauled. Children with type-2 diabetes often have parents who struggle with their own weight issues and dietary choices, so they are living in an environment that does not promote healthy eating or physical activity.”

Public health advocates place renewed focus on heroin addiction

A new CDC report indicates that heroin is back in a big way, with overdose deaths nearly quadrupling between 2002 and 2013. In fact, the White House recently held a summit on the issue and is introducing a number of measures to reduce heroin addiction and overdose rates across the country. And now the CDC has announced a $20 million effort to fight overdoses in the U.S.

The Hill: “The grants to 16 states come as part of a new program aimed at helping states fight a growing epidemic. The funds will go to measures such as developing electronic databases to track drugs dispensed in the state and to educating providers about good prescribing practices for pain medication.”