In US bad alimentation habits, Oklahoma among the “fattest” states

According to a report issued by the Oklahoma State Department of Health in January, Oklahoma state is among the “fattest” of the country. The research paper, titled “Obesity in Oklahoma”, shows precise data regarding the status of obesity in the state, and the main factors that cause this. The United States are among the countries with the highest rate of obesity/overweight in the world; Oklahoma specifically has 31.3 percent of obese adults, ranking 39^th in the nation; among youths obesity reaches 17 percent. Linked to this another data shows that 30 percent of high school students spend three hours or more per day watching TV. Another report named “Physical Activity in Oklahoma” provides a research related to the ratio of physical activities in the state: Oklahoma is 40^th in meeting the physical activities recommendation; plus, forty-two counties are received the grade “F” for physical activity. These survey reflects a general situation that has been worsening  during the last three decades in the whole country.

Allen Knehans, professor at the College of Allied Sciences at the University of Oklahoma said that the causes can be traced back to ‘80s when cigarettes advertising was banned on TV and the food and drink industry took advantage of that lack left on the medium. Food advertising revealed to be powerful as people went through a real “brainwashing”, bringing them to eat more and more. Then, fast food chains began to raise the prices of the food portions increasing at the same time their dimension, Knehans talked about “portion distortion”. He also commented specifically the data regarding Oklahoma. 

This situation seems to be limited to United States, Timothy Taylor, an English exchange student at the University of Oklahoma is astonished by the local diet costumes. He said that the food culture is different and that you can find lots of fast food outlets in US. According to his experience in Norman, he said that people seem not to walk. “Junk food here is cheaper than healthy produce”, he said. He added that the United Kingdom started a massive food campaign to make people aware about correct and healthy alimentation, it promotes the consume of fruits and vegetables and it has banned fried food and fizzy drinks in school canteens.

Hopefully, the United States government, and the Oklahoma community will follow this path by promoting new models of alimentation and healthier lifestyles for citizens. 

Prof. Allen Knehans analyzes a report about obesity in Oklahoma, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012, Norman, Oklahoma. The research includes a map where it is possible to see the evolution of obesity percentage in the state.

A dish with sausage and sauced steak, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012, Norman, Oklahoma. A portion like this does exceed the maximum amount of the suggested calories daily ratio.

People getting food at the "Golden Corral", Friday, Sept. 21, 2012.  "Golden Corral" is a all-you-can-eat restaurant where you can eat unlimited food paying a fixed price.

                                  Prof. Allen Knehans comments the Oklahoma State Department of Health's research papers.

Media visionary Rob Curley speaks to OU students about digital era

The experienced journalist provides an interesting point of view on media evolution

“Internet punk”, “media nerd”, “web guru”: these are the words that, according to the flyer sponsoring the event, introduce Rob Curley, metro editor of the Orange County register and the former reporter at the Washington Post and Las Vegas Sun.

Curley spoke yesterday night at 7 p.m. at the Meachum Auditorium, Oklahoma Memorial Union. Someone could think that talking about news on the internet, newspapers’ websites and advertising could be matters for professionals, teaching staff or future journalists, but actually the Pulitzer Prize-winner discussed about the strict link between journalists and news media and the audience, specifically all of us citizens.

According to a graph showed several times during the speech, in the last decades the number of newspapers hasn’t followed the increase in world population at all. Curley used this figure as anti-model in order to warn all the people committed in news reporting. The solution to attract as many readers as possible, in an era of declining in newspapers, seems to be a combination of five characteristics that content needs to have: passion, newspapers have to provide items which people have strong feeling for; practicality, readers looking for news want to find themselves in serendipity; playfulness, since people need to escape from life’s difficulties; and impressively porn, thought as a mindless hunger for compelling matters.

It is clear from this that Rob Curley is not the typical old-fashioned journalist, he is a thoughtful professional aware of the revolution happening in world of news. Lindsey Ruta, journalist for The Oklahoma Daily, was pleasantly impressed by Curley’s “different mind-set”, which is so far from that of traditional reporters; “it is a refreshing point of view”, she said. Although Curley showed what the huge possibilities of the internet platforms could be, his journalism is very committed in the true essence of the profession: serving the audience. He thinks that old media and new media can compensate each other in a sort of co-existence. Then he added: “to avoid the death of press we should make print products less crappy”, that can sound obvious but actually it is not, in this day and age.

There were about hundred people at Meachum Auditorium and not all of them were students; Kristi Moser found Curley’s speech very innovative. Agreeing with him, she said that she hopes that new and old media would be concerted by news operators.   

An hour in to the lecture, Robert Curley, though tired because of the speech and the trip, made himself available for numerous students of journalism to answer to their questions and opinions; as a good journalist, he didn’t forget his main mission of serving the public. 

Portrait without a person

Sense of place