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Obesity is an important contributor to premature death in women who have never smoked, especially among women in low income groups, according to research published on BMJ.com. While established research has shown clearly that smoking is linked to premature death and health inequalities, it is not known which causes of death are related to the social position of women who have never smoked, says the paper.

by Simon Levey 24 June 2011 People across the South-East of England are being asked to take part in a survey to count the number of Rose-ringed Parakeets living in the area.

Childhood obesity is a serious public health problem predicted to affect two thirds of UK children by 2050.

PA 191/11 Visitors to a major exhibition for the UK's farming industry are to find out how University of Nottingham researchers are helping to protect the future of the world's crops, fuel and the environment.

Gaining more than the recommended weight during pregnancy can put women at increased risk of becoming obese and developing related health problems, including high blood pressure, later in life. These are the latest findings from researchers at the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)/Children of the 90s at the University of Bristol.

Governments must help tackle undernutrition with committed funds and decisive action, in order to address poor health and poor economic prospects in the developing world, according to a new briefing paper launched today (Tuesday 17 May 2011).

The effects of providing opportunities for healthier diet and increasing physical activity levels of primary school children in the region are to be examined in a new clinical trial.

Seven University of Birmingham students - Alex Cornwell, Lucy Dowsett, Katie Knowles, Alison Leonard, Sam Petty, Cally Read and Chris Smith - are set to ignite their 2011 summer track seasons after r

Senior academics from the University of Birmingham are currently visiting five cities in India on a Road Show to develop new mutually beneficial research links and collaborations with Indian institutions, strengthen existing ties and meet potential students and alumni.

The Government sees active travel to work as a convenient way of building activity into lifestyle and an important public health strategy. A new study suggests that transport plans aimed at reducing car usage should be considered as a feasible and effective strategy for increasing physical activity among the workforce and improving health.

An innovative strategy for regenerating skeletal muscle tissue using cells from the recipient's own body is outlined in UCL research published today. The paper, authored by Dr Paulo de Coppi (UCL Institute of Child Health and surgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital) and colleagues, shows that damaged muscle tissues treated with satellite cells in a special degradable hydrogel showed satisfactory regeneration and muscle activity.

There are rumblings that today's national census might be the last. The Office of National Statistics 'Beyond 2011 Project' is looking at different options for producing more frequent population data that are better suited to the needs of public and commercial users.

New research suggests that promoting active play in children's leisure time could increase the physical activity of today's children, but that such strategies might need to be tailored according to gender.

An international study of 220,000 people has challenged the idea that obese people who have an "apple shape" (fat deposits on the middle section of the body) are at higher risk of heart attacks and strokes than obese people with other types of fat distribution. These are the conclusions of an Article published Online First and in an upcoming Lancet, from the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration, a consortium of 200 scientists from 17 countries led from the University of Cambridge, UK.

A team of researchers from the University of Birmingham's School of Sport and Exercise Sciences is embarking on a stair climbing challenge to decrease the energy expenditure of businesses and to improve the health and wellbeing of workforces.

With an abundance of food available, it's not surprising that people are getting fatter. But why do some people remain lean? A Cambridge University scientist suggests that the reason is rooted deep in our DNA.

The largest ever UK-wide study of babies and young children, led by scientists at UCL,  today received a landmark £28.5 million commitment from the Government Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS).

PA 64/11 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Jess Slyvester hopes her current form will be enough to secure a World Championship place, after leading The University of Nottingham to a fifth place finish at the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) Long Course Championships.

University of Nottingham News Press releases 2011 February Future sports stars balance athletic career with degree thanks to university bursary PA 43/2011 The University of Nottingham has showed its c

Press release issued 17 January 2011 Boys and girls who take part in physical activity with their best friend in the neighbourhood where they live have higher levels of physical activity, new research has found. With many children not doing enough physical activity the findings could help with the UK's current health care concerns.

Current guidance advising mothers in the UK to exclusively breast feed for the first six months of their baby's life is being questioned in a new study published today in the British Medical Journal. The authors, led by Dr Mary Fewtrell (UCL Institute of Child Health) have reviewed the evidence behind the current guidance and say the time is right to reappraise this recommendation.

Health 27 Dec 10 Greater food availability and less exercise made the average man in the year 2000 over a stone heavier than he was in 1986, Oxford University research has shown.

Project focuses on finding ways to assess the impact of different agricultural development projects in sub-Saharan Africa - News By Laura Gallagher Monday 8 November 2010 Researchers exploring the mos

Europe should accelerate agriculture aid to Africa or it will miss chance to help transform food security across continent, say experts Montpellier Panel report finds gap between Europe's pledge to p

PA 289/10 As the global population grows, so does the challenge of feeding so many people. Intensive agriculture can deplete soil nutrients, consume large amounts of precious fresh water and lead to long-term environmental damage.

Liverpool, UK - 27 August 2010: Scientists at the University of Liverpool have decoded the genome of wheat - the largest genome to be sequenced to date - to help crop breeders increase the yield of British wheat varieties.

Weight management guidance for pregnancy 28 Jul 2010, PR 165/10 Women should be encouraged to achieve a healthy weight before they become pregnant and advised that there is no need to 'eat for two' when pregnant.

Press release issued 20 July 2010 Active play makes a significant contribution to children's physical activity and could play an important part in the health of future generations, a new study has found.

World record marathon runner Haile Gebrselassie will receive an honorary degree from the University of Birmingham, having collaborated for years with the institution's sports scientists to optimise his nutrition.

The first mobile medical research facility in the UK is launched today.

Kishorn and Shannon, two young people interviewed for the website www.youthhealthtalk.org, along with Dr Ann McPherson, medical director of the Health Experiences Research Group at Oxford (2nd from left) and Prue Leith, ex-chair of The School Food Trust.

Matt Fortnam in the Department of Earth Sciences talks to Professor Vala Ragnarsdottir, co-ordinator of the European SoilCritZone project, about the importance of soil, and draws comparisons between the global financial crash and the impending global soil crisis.

The study, published in the journal Obesity , says weight-based discrimination by the public has increased by 66% over the past decade with anti-fat prejudice among health professionals found to be high in western nations, and often exceeding that found within the general population.

Andrew Ellison, a member of staff at The University of Manchester, has been selected to play for England at this summer's World Lacrosse Championships.

PA 69/10 Twenty four per cent of the UK population is clinically obese and England has the highest prevalence of obesity in the European Union.

Liverpool, UK - 16 March 2010: Scientists at the University of Liverpool argue that anti-obesity drugs fail to provide lasting benefits for health and wellbeing because they tackle the biological consequences of obesity, and not the important psychological causes of overconsumption and weight gain.

Could enlightened urban planning and design help us re-imagine our cities as tapestries of green urban space ripe for agricultural development?