 by Karen Switkowski, MS, MPH Height is about more than physical appearance or the ability to reach items on the upper shelves of the grocery store. Economics research indicates that taller people make more money, even after controlling for factors such as age, gender, weight, education, and experience. In public health research, we often use height and growth rate as a study outcome when looking at the effects of various exposures, particularly nutritional factors. Height is an easily measured variable that can be used as a general marker of nutritional status and also predict health and developmental outcomes. What are some of the research questions that height is used to study?
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 by Avik Chatterjee, MD I’ve never been good about drinking water. During my medical residency, though, I did get good at drinking coffee. But drinking so much coffee and not water (like everyone else seemed to be doing) made me nervous about my hydration status. since I wasn't drinking enough water to begin with, wouldn’t drinking coffee (with the ensuing diuretic effects) make things worse? IV fluids to the resident room, stat!
 by Maricelle Ramirez If you are hungry and running low on time, money, and/or palatable options, eating nutritious food may take the backseat, even if you do care about your food.
Over the past few summers, as part of a nutrition study, I went out to over 40 fast-food restaurants across New England and surveyed people who had just purchased food. It seemed that even participants who answered that calories were important in choosing their food also tended to respond that they either did not see calorie information or saw it but did not use it.  by Emily Oken, MD, MPH We’ve all heard there’s an epidemic of obesity around the world– obesity is increasing in adults and children, and even infants, in all continents. With such a wide swath of the world’s population being affected, you might be tempted to think there’s something in the air that is causing everyone to gain weight – and you may be right.
 by Sheryl Rifas-Shiman, MPH Almost 14 years ago, I remember being very excited — and a bit confused — about when to start feeding my baby solid foods. The when, what, and how of starting solids was a hot topic among parents at the playground. Since that time, recommendations have changed but haven’t necessarily become clearer. National and international guidelines recommend not feeding an infant solid food until at least 4 months of age and preferably not until 6 months. The American Academy of Pediatrics and World Health Organization advocate for later introduction of solids as a way to promote exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months. When I was making this decision, I remember being mostly concerned about choking and allergies. But there may be another reason for delaying the introduction of solids: preventing obesity.
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