On this week’s 51%, a study shows that college women could use more physical activity, and we remember an award-winning author who wrote about immigrant life. I’m Allison Dunne and this is 51%.
Less than one-half of college women achieve the daily level of physical activity recommended for weight control and overall health. But a study from The University of Scranton and Drexel University shows that there is considerable variation in physical activity across days, weeks, and months, though this variation rarely is measured. Dr. Danielle Arigo is assistant professor of psychology at The University of Scranton and the study’s lead author. She found that college women increased their exercise from their usual levels after feeling bad about their bodies and after perceiving that they overate. These relationships were independent of weight change and actual calorie intake, suggesting that self-perception is extremely important for physical activity. I spoke with Arigo about her study and its potential impacts.
Michelle Obama's garden can keep churning out vegetables at the White House. That's the official word from the Trump White House. First lady Melania Trump says through a spokeswoman that she is committed to preserving and continuing White House gardens, and specifically mentions Mrs. Obama's "kitchen" garden. The former first lady planted the garden in 2009 as the foundation for her signature initiative, "Let's Move," which she designed to help reduce childhood obesity through diet and exercise. The garden produced hundreds of pounds of fruit and vegetables yearly. Some of it helped feed the Obama family and guests at White House events, and supply neighborhood food kitchens. Mrs. Obama referred to the garden as her baby, and said she hoped future presidents would keep it going.
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Now a scientist tells us about planetary hygiene.
Weeks after the election of Donald Trump, some minority women are turning their fears into action by joining hundreds, possibly thousands, of women of color, who are actively considering a run for office. Across the country, women are gathering signatures, attending workshops, and signing up for fundraising and public speaking classes with their eyes on campaigns for school board seats, city councils, state offices, and even Congress. Nonprofit groups that encourage women to seek office are reporting skyrocketing interest, noting jumps in workshop and webinar attendance. VoteRunLead director Erin Vilardi says group-sponsored webinars like "From Protester to Politician" typically get 50 to 100 participants. Since November, the webinars are attracting more than 1,000 participants each time, and about half are women of color.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Award-winning Indian-born American author Bharati Mukherjee penned novels that told stories about life as an immigrant. She died at the end of January at age 76. KALW’s Sandip Roy remembers her.
And that's our show this week. Thanks to Patrick Garrett for production assistance. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock. Our theme music is Glow in the Dark by Kevin Bartlett. This show is a national production of Northeast Public Radio. If you’d like to hear this show again, sign up for our podcast, or visit the 51% archives on our web site at wamc.org. And follow us on Twitter @51PercentRadio
