Weight management
Reported by the Metro this week, news that overweight people are soon to be given cash prizes and gift vouchers if they lose weight. The NHS announced plans to give funding to employers in order to offer such incentives. Opinion is polarised among experts with Dr Sally Norton expressing the view that it is very difficult to avoid weight gain, with busy lives and temptation all around.
In other weight-related news, the Daily Telegraph reported that crash diets might actually work – following a study conducted by the University of Melbourne. The study found that the drop-out rate from diets was lower when that diet was a rapid weight loss programme, as opposed to gradual.
Technology
On the BMJ Blog this week, Nightingale Hospital’s Dr Richard Graham wrote on the issue of technology and the brain. His post deals with the question of technology media multi-tasking and the possible impact this could have on the structure of the brain, as well as the difficulties in assessing technology usage – with lines between the online and offline worlds becoming increasingly blurred.
Clocks changing
Finally, with the clocks changing this weekend, the results of research into daylight saving time made a timely appearance in the news. Reports suggest that if the clocks were to be moved forward one hour instead of back then children would be likely to gain an extra two minutes of physical activity per day, a figure experts argue is not trivial and could significantly benefit children in the UK.
