 When we think about poverty and hunger, many of us immediately picture the tragic scenes from areas afflicted by famine –people too weak to walk with ribs that can be counted and children with the skinny limbs and swollen bellies characteristic of kwashiorkor. However, in the US, and many other settings, the face of hunger is much more likely to have chubby cheeks.
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 by Karen Switkowski, MPH, MS “I really want to get the salmon, but I can’t remember how many times I already had fish this week. Did we have that shrimp pasta on Sunday, or was that Saturday? I guess I’ll be OK if I have this now and we don’t make the tuna until next weekend…” Throughout my pregnancy, my husband had to listen to some version of this monologue every time we went out to dinner. Like many women, I had internalized the warning that I risked poisoning my baby with mercury if I ate seafood too often. Although I was also well aware of the importance of the nutrients found in fish and other seafood for fetal development, I was more concerned about consuming too much mercury that I was about not getting enough beneficial fatty acids in my diet.
 by Lauren Fiechtner, MD Is it fair to fine parents if their child with obesity does not lose weight? Lawmakers in Puerto Rico have proposed a bill that would do just that. Under the proposed bill, teachers would identify children with obesity and refer them to a counselor who would develop a diet and exercise plan. If the child does not lose weight in 6 months, the families would be fined $500. If in a year success still eludes, then the fines could increase to $800.
 by Emily Oken, MD, MPH Asthma and obesity are the two most common chronic health conditions affecting both children and adults. The most recent data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that about 1 in every 6 US children are obese (17%), and almost 1 of every 7 (14%) will develop asthma by age 18. Both obesity and asthma are on the rise. Could these two conditions be connected?
 by Jen Thompson, MPP Why don’t more U.S. women breastfeed their babies for longer? Both the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed – meaning that they receive only breast milk, and no formula, other liquids or solid foods -- until they reach 6 months of age. Yet few U.S. mothers follow these recommendations. According to the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 19% of babies born in the U.S. in 2011 were exclusively breastfed at 6 months.
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