Panel discussion to address youth obesity in a lean economy
March 24, 2009
Leah Seupersad
University Relations
404-413-1354
lvh@gsu.edu
Panel discussion to address youth obesity in a lean economy
ATLANTA— A panel discussion addressing youth obesity in a lean economy will be held at 8 a.m. Wednesday (March 25) in the 7th-floor seminar room of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University.
“In light of rising rates of obesity in the United States and conflicting evidence surrounding the cost-effectiveness of solutions for future generations, a forum on childhood obesity has been put together in order to combine expertise in research, policy, and practice in this area,” said Inas Rashad, an assistant professor of economics at Georgia State. “This forum will provide an overview of the problem, potential causes and consequences and explore solutions using simulation models.”
Rashad, who is also a faculty research fellow of the National Bureau of Economic Research in the Health Economics Program, will moderate the panel. Rashad's research focuses on the increase in caloric intake and the decline in levels of physical activity in the United States. She also is interested in other health economics problems such as risky adolescent behavior and drug abuse.
The panelists at “Weighing Our Options: Addressing Youth Obesity in a Lean Economy” forum, will include John Cawley, an associate professor in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell University; Sandra Elizabeth Ford, director of the Division of Public Health at the Georgia Department of Human Resources; and Chris Soderquist, founder of Pontifex Consulting.
The Andrew Young School of Policy Studies and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta are hosting the panel discussion. Affiliates of this forum include the Georgia Health Policy Center, Georgia State's Institute of Public Health and Atlanta Regional Health Forum.
For more information, please visit: http://aysps.gsu.edu/obesity.html.