Newsletter 02 2006.pdf - Sight and Life

NEWSLETTER 2/2006
51
SIGHT AND LIFE
Publications
SIGHT AND LIFE presents recent publications which may be of particular interest to our readers.
However, these publications are not available from SIGHT AND LIFE, nor do we have any privileged
access to them.
Food and Nutrition: a
Handbook for Namibian
Volunteer Leaders
The Government of the Republic
of Namibia (GRN), through the
Technical Co-operation Program
(TCP) of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations
(FAO), launched a new program
called Rural Youth Clubs of
Namibia (RYCN), as an outreach
for the Rural Youth Development
Program.
This program has been designed
and tested as a unique methodology
for reaching large numbers of
young people, living in even the
most isolated rural villages of Namibia,
with leadership development
and organizational skills as
well as non-formal education and
training in agriculture and related
areas. It has been successfully
demonstrated that the new RYCN
is an effective delivery mechanism
enabling rural young people,
primarily those who are out of
school, to gain basic knowledge,
skills and experiences in agriculture,
nutrition, health, environment
and other essential skills
for living. Education and training
involves practical, activity-based
learning and income-generating
activities. By taking this training
approach to even the most
remote villages, large numbers
of our youth should be empowered
into making economically
rewarding and satisfying lives for
themselves and their families in
rural Namibia.
This manual is designed as a field
handbook and guideline document
for rural youth club leaders
to enable them to employ coping
strategies in nutritional activities
taking into account the prevailing
economic patterns in their
respective communities. It was
developed through participatory
and experiential approaches involving
the rural young people in
selected communities in northern
Namibia, a process that involved
collaboration with other line
ministries such as the Ministry
of Agriculture, Water and Rural
Development and the Ministry of
Health and Social Services.
Food and Nutrition: Minister of
Higher Education, Training and
Employment, Creation, Private
Bag 13391, Windhoek, Namibia
Obesity: Dietary and
Developmental Influences
Focusing on prevention rather
than treatment, Obesity: Dietary
and Developmental Influences,
reviews and evaluates the determinants
of obesity. The book
uses evidence-based research
as a basis to define foods and
dietary behaviors that should be
supported and encouraged as
well as those that should be discouraged.
This comprehensive
review represents a critical step
forward in the quest to identify
feasible strategies to prevent
obesity.
The book describes the potential
role of 26 different dietary factors
and eight developmental periods
in the prevention of obesity
among children and adults. The
dietary factors examined include
macronutrients, micronutrients,
specific types of foods and beverages,
snack and meal patterns,
portion size, parenting practices,
breastfeeding, and more. The factors
from each developmental period
in the life cycle are examined
in the context of the likelihood of
obesity development. For each
dietary factor and developmental
period, four lines of evidence are
examined: secular trends, plausible
mechanisms, observational
studies, and prevention trials.
Providing easy access to information,
the book features 38 tables
that summarize observational
studies, 38 graphs depicting
trends in dietary intake, and nine
tables that summarize preven-