Health & Wellness i ' '*ssm' Healthbeat Medical schools not teaching students to combat obesity Few U.S. medical schools are providing adequate, effective training on how to address weight issues in obese patients, according to researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. "Medical students are surrounded by the same environment that everyone is in this coun try, a culture of ideal ized images of physical attractiveness in which thin is good and fat is bad," said Dr. Mara Vitolins, professor of public health sciences at Wake Forest Baptist and lead author of die study that was published in the Julv issue of the journal Teaching and Learning in Medicine." "We just aren't doing a good enough job of teaching our students evidence-based methods of intervention and care for our obese patients." The purpose of the study was to provide a systematic review of the literature examining obesity-related educational programs. In an effort to gauge the amount and effectiveness of medical school training related to obesity, the researchers reviewed literature from the National Institutes of Health's PubMed data base from 1966 through 2010. Of the 208 articles found, only five addressed ways to increase medical students' knowledge, attitudes and skills regarding over weight and obesity treatment. Only two of those five addressed medical student bias toward obese patients, and just one dealt with attempting to change this bias. Vitolins Triad agencies to receive GSK grants GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced the five recipients of its annual GlaxoSmithKline IMPACT Awards. In total, the North Carolina and Philadelphia-area healthcare nonprofit organizations will r r i v p> $200,000 in grant funding ($40,000 each) for providing access to health care for the underserved in their communi ties. The follow ing organiza tions will receive their awards at a ceremony on Dec. 11 in Research Triangle Park: the Piedmont Health Services and Sickle Cell Agency in Greensboro; Restoration Place Ministries, Inc. in Greensboro; The Servant Center, Inc. in Greensboro, the Triad Health Project in Greensboro and the Institute for Safe Families in Philadelphia, Pa. In North Carolina, GSK works in partner ship with Durham-based Triangle Community Foundation (TCF), a grant mak ing organization that connects resources with needs through community-based philanthro py % H?M) HEALIH PWMKT I AM POSI+ 1TIVE N.C. child deaths remain at lowest level in history Data released last week by NC Child Fatality Task Force show that child death rates in North Carolina ticked downward slightly in 2011 to the lowest rate yet record ed. The child death rate has been cut almost in half over the past two decades. "Growing the prosperity of our state depends on assuring that our next generation (rrows ud healthv. _ safe and strong. Maintaining^ the lowest child death 1 rate on record shows the value of j focused public * policies and sus-01 tained and strate gic investments tor improving outcomes tor our children. Knitting together a variety of evidence-informed policies has effects across the spectrum to prevent child death and promote well-being" noted Elizabeth Hudgins, Child Fatality Task Force executive director. Official figures gathered by the State Center for Health Statistics and the Child Fatality Prevention Team Research Staff show a rate of 57.4 deaths per 100,000 chil dren from birth through 17 years of age, compared to 57.5 deaths per 100,000 chil dren in 2010 and 67.0 deaths per 100,000 children in 2009. When North Carolina developed the Child Fatality Prevention System in 1990, the rate exceedttl 100 deaths per 100,000 children. In total, about 10,400 child deaths have been prevented- about the equivalent of averting 8 years of child death - than if the 1991 child death rate had pre vailed. A ? wssu helps meet nursing demand SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE The Division of Nursing at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) will be supporting advanced nursing education through two new efforts. The program was awarded a $699,000 grant from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration to assist with tuition and fees for students enrolled in the family nurse practitioner option. A special focus of the grant is on recruit ing applicants from the military servic es, veterans and their families. The long-term goal of the two-year Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship (AENT) grant is to encourage students to work in under served areas after graduation. "This funding can increase the number, the diversity and the regional See Nurses on A10 New and Improved Photo courtesy of the Office of the Oovenwr Gov. Boy Perdue hands eight-year-old Angelina Hilos a pair of oversized scissors so that she could cut the ribbon last month to officially open the newly expanded Ronald McDonald House in Durham. Angelina, a cancer survivor, and her family stay at the House when they travel to Durham so that Angelina can receive treat ment at Duke University Hospital. Local man will be honored on Donate Life Rose Parade float CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT A tribute to Danny L. Bost, whose organs were donated by his family after his death, will be featured on the Donate Life float entry in the 124th Rose i ?^ ?v j_ . t ? mimk. ness or weakness. A case study was described recently by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center neurol ogist Dr. Francis O. Walker and his colleagues and published in the September edition of the journal, Clinical Neuromuscular Disease. The case involved a fit and active 73-year-old woman, who waa a bit miffed last fall when she had to depend on her granddaughter to help her with some housework. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't slip the last corner of a fitted sheet over a mat See Bads on A1 r T/ Dignity and End of Life Care tao-wttonm* School of Madnra The Peopto sjCIWc: Th? May? AnQalou G?nl?r tor H??Mi Esgufty 'WW yOi^du/MWO*/ Consider this situation: you are driving home in a rain storm; you lose control of your car and hit a tree. You are taken to the hospital and need emergency medical attention. After the sur gery, they determine that there is no hope of recovery, and you can only be kept alive by machines. What happens to you now? Would you choose to be kept alive artificially, or would you prefer to die with dignity? Unless you make your wishes known beforehand, you will not have a say. Your family will decide your fate without know ing what you wanted done. Unfortunately in our society today, very little planning is done for the certainty of death. In the absence of documents stat ing someone's preference regarding end-of-life issues, the person is vulnerable to the will of the physician, family, friends or other acquaintances. Alarmingly, only 11 percent of African Americans express their wishes regarding end-of-life care, compared to 38 percent of whites. How Can I Ease the Burden on My Family? Planning is required to pro tect yotat . loved ones from uncomfortable situations and decision-making. Each adult should first decide what he or she would want to happen in the event that they are too ill to speak for themselves. Next, this division should be clearly com municated to the family and physician. The key is to have the conversation before a crisis occurs. Talk about what you would like to happen in sudden situations such as an automobile accident, a heart attack or a stroke. Become familiar with and state your opinion concerning life-sustaining technology, i including cardiopulmonary resuscitation and mechanical ' ventilation. Most importantly, : understand that verbal communi cation is not enough in all situa ; tions. i i What is a Living Will? A living will is a written legal document that outlines your t wishes related to end-of-life , care. It allows you to direct : healthcare providers regarding > what you do and do not want them to do for you. The standard > living will discusses your choice ' to be kept alive by: 1) intra i venous fluids and nutrition, 2) a i feeding tube, and 3) a mechani cal ventilator (breathing i machine). It addresses situations > in which a person is terminally I ill (has no hope for survival) or in a persistent vegetative state (is unable to communicate). If the ? physician certifies that you meet .f &L. l!