Prevention Matters

Doctors in Massachusetts prescribing produce to their patients as a way to fight childhood overweight was named the “Best News for Prevention” while hands-free headsets are proven to be no safer than holding the cell phone while driving was named the “Worst News for Prevention.”

The “Best/Worst” awards are announced each week in “Prevention Matters,” the blog of Partnership for Prevention. "Best/Worst News for Prevention” polls are snapshots taken during a brief period of time that reflect the views of Partnership for Prevention staff. The polls are not designed or intended to reflect a statistically valid representation of the population and should not be used as such. More information is available at http://www.prevent.org/.


BEST

Eat an Apple (Doctor’s Orders)

The farm stand is becoming the new apothecary, dispensing apples — not to mention artichokes, asparagus and arugula — to fill a novel kind of prescription.

Doctors at three health centers in Massachusetts have begun advising patients to eat “prescription produce” from local farmers’ markets, in an effort to fight obesity in children of low-income families. Now they will give coupons amounting to $1 a day for each member of a patient’s family to promote healthy meals.

“A lot of these kids have a very limited range of fruits and vegetables that are acceptable and familiar to them. Potentially, they will try more,” said Dr. Suki Tepperberg, a family physician at Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester, one of the program sites. “The goal is to get them to increase their consumption of fruit and vegetables by one serving a day."

WORST

Hands-Free Headsets Aren't Safer for Drivers Than Holding Cell Phone


Ditch the phone if you drive. That's the bottom line of a new study that found using hands-free headsets while driving doesn't result in fewer accidents, echoing the results of many previous studies.

''When you are on the phone, you are only using part of your brain to drive," says researcher David Schwebel, PhD, vice-chair and professor of psychology at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, who presented the findings today at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in San Diego.

''My advice is not to talk on the phone while you are driving, ever," he says.

Farmers markets are gaining popularity as a way to bring fresh produce to those living in food deserts. Whether farmers markets improve consumption of fruits and vegetables or impact obesity rates has yet to be determined. But such efforts are a step in the right direction to helping people eat a healthier diet. However, simply setting up a farmers market in a food desert without ensuring it is conveniently located, adequately promoted, offers appealing products, or provides education on how to prepare fresh produce will probably not result in many sales.

A recent Chicago Tribune article shows how several African-American churches around Chicago are doing things right. These churches have partnered with local farmers to bring fresh produce to their congregants, many of whom rely on convenience stores for their food. Weekly farmers markets are held in the church parking lots with onsite nutritionists and demonstrations on preparing traditional African American recipes in healthful ways.

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables reduces the risk for a host of diseases, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Both of these diseases plague racial and ethnic minority populations at much higher rates than whites. Farmers markets, community gardens, and other efforts to improve access to fresh produce should be continued, as well as finding ways to overcome barriers. One problem that has hurt farmers markets is the inability to use the electronic benefit transfer cards now given through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly the Food Stamp Program).

Alyson Hazen Kristensen, MPH
Senior Fellow & Program Officer
Partnership for Prevention