Beyond the Iron Rice Bowl: A Symposium on Public Health Interventions and Policy Approaches to New Nutritional Challenges in South China

Beyond the Iron Rice Bowl: A Symposium on Public Health Interventions and Policy Approaches to New Nutritional Challenges in South China

Thursday, November 6, 2008 - 9:00am to 10:30am
Cohen Auditorium, Yale Child Study Center, Yale University See map
230 South Frontage Road
New Haven, CT 6519

Scholars from the United States and China will gather in New Haven, Connecticut on November 6, 2008 for a one-day symposium on nutritional challenges facing China today, with an emphasis on South China. Entitled “Beyond the Iron Rice Bowl: A Symposium on Public Health Interventions and Policy Approaches to New Nutritional Challenges in South China,” the symposium is co-sponsored by the Yale-China Association and the Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University. The event will address burgeoning health issues through a look at regional nutrition trends and intervention strategies, with the hope of contributing to scholarship and outcomes in this area. Nutrition issues in China are a microcosm of the world. Obesity and chronic diseases are rapidly increasing, and micronutrient deficiencies and undernutrition continue to be high, particularly in rural areas. Public health approaches that combine education and policy changes can effectively change the environment and support more healthy choices at the individual level. This symposium will include presentations on challenges in developing effective interventions, and on approaches that have worked in other settings. The schedule will include time for participants to discuss ideas and approaches for addressing nutrition challenges and collaborative approaches and ideas. The symposium’s morning program will provide an overview of undernutrition in China, changes in patterns of obesity, the long-term influence of enduring famine on the dietary health of a generation, and a broader talk on social and epidemiological trends that are influencing nutrition. The afternoon session will be divided into three parts, to look at different intervention strategies. Community and school interventions will be considered, in addition to policy level interventions. Speakers will seek to address such questions as, what are the health consequences of dietary transition from undernutrition to overnutrition in a lifetime; are there large regional and socioeconomic differences in the overnutrition problem in China; and, are comprehensive community based interventions an effective way to address the chronic disease burden in developed and developing countries? This symposium is rooted in the recognition that rapid changes occurring in China alongside intense debate about China’s health system yield a valuable opportunity to study, understand, and potentially avert nutritional problems that affect modern human populations on a global scale. The symposium is free and open to the public but advance registration is required.

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE: 9:00 - 9:30 AM Welcome and Overview 9:30-11:00 AM Burden of Undernutrition and Overnutrition in Southern China 11:00-11:15 AM Break 11:15 AM-12:30 PM Trends Affecting Nutrition in Southern China 12:30-1:30 PM Lunch 1:30-3:30 PM Community-Based and Policy Interventions 3:30-3:40 PM Break 3:40-4:40 PM School-Based Approaches 4:40-5:00 PM Conclusions

FEATURED SPEAKERS:
Youfa Wang Associate Professor in the Center for Human Nutrition Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Baltimore, MD; “Trends in Obesity and Related Chronic Disease in Southern China”
Xuemei Lian Associate Professor Chongqing Medical University Chongqing, Sichuan, China; “Trends of Undernutrition in Southern China”
Xiaobo Zhang Senior research fellow in the Development Strategy and Governance Division Leader IFRPI China Program International Food Policy Research Institute Beijing, China; “Impact of Historical Famine on Current and Future Trends in Chronic Disease Risk”
Yawei Zhang Assistant professor at the School of Epidemiology and Public Health Yale University New Haven, CT; “Social Trends in China Affecting Nutrition and Public Health”
Denise Stevens President, Matrix Public Health Solutions New Haven, CT
Fengying Zhai National Institute for Nutrition and Food Safety Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Beijing, China; “The Dietary Intake and Nutrition Status and Policy Approaches to Changing Nutritional Patterns in China”
Marlene Schwartz Deputy Directory, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity Yale University New Haven, CT; “School-based Nutrition Programs’ Best Practices and Policies”
Rui Li Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene Kunming University Medical School Kunming, Yunnan, China
Presentation: A School-based Nutrition Education Intervention for Preschoolers in Chengdu, China

For More Information

Co-sponsored by the Yale-China Association and the Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University with generous support from the United States Department of Education
Region: 
China, Hong Kong, Taiwan