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University of Wyoming

Departmental News

New UW publication emphasizes healthy behaviors over focus on weight

An emphasis on healthy attitudes and behaviors and not on weight is the focus of a new publication from the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service.

The ABCs of Health-Focused Well-Being, publication MP 112.4, takes readers on a health-focused journey from A to Z.

“Lifestyles based on healthy attitudes and behaviors related to physical activity, food and eating, and body image offer many benefits, including improved psychological well-being and reduced risk for problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis,” wrote the publication’s authors. They include Suzanne Pelican, extension food and nutrition specialist in the College of Agriculture’s Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, Fred Vanden Heede, consultant, Laramie, and Marci Getz, consultant, Sitka, Alaska.

The lifestyles, they wrote, also can help people achieve a healthy weight. This publication presents some of the concepts and principles involved in a health-focused (rather than a weight-focused) approach to well-being.

The publication features 38 definitions and descriptions of terms, arranged alphabetically.  Some terms are commonly used in the health field, but the publication provides a different twist, said Pelican. For example, body mass index (BMI) is a calculation, based on an individual’s weight and height.  “BMI is one indicator of health status, but, much too often, it is used as the only indicator and, inappropriately, to diagnose rather than to screen for possible problems,” she said.

Inclusion of some terms may seem surprising, she added. For example, “Kitchen – Many individuals and families are using their kitchen less because they are eating out more often; however, food being prepared at home (and shared with others when possible) is important for physical, mental and social well-being.” 

The publication also features quotes from everyday people.  In relation to “Losing weight,” one woman observed, “This is going to be your body and you want it to be healthy.  So the eating and physical activity should be to make you feel better.  It shouldn’t be to make you fit into a size 8 or a size 6.”  

Following its on-line release from the University of Wyoming earlier this week, the publication received high praise from as far away as Australia, said Pelican, and it will soon be listed as a resource on a national U.S. Department of Agriculture Web site to be determined.

The ABCs of Health-Focused Well-Being is available for viewing or download at http://ces.uwyo.edu/PUBS/MP112-4.pdf. Hardcopies for $3.50 each can be obtained by e-mailing the College of Agriculture’s Resource Center at cespubs@uwyo.edu, calling the center at (307) 766-2115, or writing to the University of Wyoming, College of Agriculture, Department 3313, 1000 E. University Ave., Laramie, WY 82071.

On the Web: http://ces.uwyo.edu/Pubs_Subject.asp

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Contact: Steven L. Miller, Senior Editor
Phone: (307) 766-6342
E-mail: slmiller@uwyo.edu
Archived News Site http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/UWAG/news.asp

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