SPECIAL EDITION

The next tobacco? Food companies vow healthier products
   With the national obesity epidemic becoming harder to ignore, major food producers are scrambling to create healthier products and generate marketing campaigns that promote proper eating habits. Last week the nation's largest food manufacturer, Kraft Foods, announced it would shrink portion sizes and reduce sugar, fat and calories in many of its products. Other companies - including McDonald's, Kellogg's and PepsiCo - are doing the same, promising to give greater consideration to health concerns when producing foods. Christine Rosenbloom, an associate professor of nutrition at Georgia State University, says food manufacturers may be motivated by profits instead of consumer health - but creating healthier products is still a positive step. People are going to eat junk food, she says, so it's better when products can be purchased in reasonable portions and contain fewer unhealthy components such as trans fats, refined sugars and preservatives. Rosenbloom, a registered dietitian, can speak about the obesity epidemic and food companies' efforts to combat the problem. Contact her at 404-651-1102 or crosenbloom@gsu.edu.

Paving the way for gay marriage?
   When the U.S. Supreme Court recently declared homosexual conduct legal across the nation, dissenting Justice Antonin Scalia warned that the ruling "leaves on pretty shaky grounds state laws limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples." Georgia State University law professor Eric Segall, who believes that legally recognized same-sex marriages are inevitable but still a long way off, is available to comment on the long-term ramifications of the Supreme Court's decision. Contact Segall at 404-918-8781 or esegall@gsu.edu.

Praying for better health? Wellness could be linked to spirituality
   Spirituality and religion play an important role in many people's lives, driving their decisions and actions. The power of faith can also have other benefits, according to a researcher at Georgia State University who studies the correlation between faith and wellness. A person's internal belief in a higher power can promote healing, says Gary Arthur, a counseling professor. "An internal retrospective or religiosity plays a part in your well-being because that aspect of a higher power or spirituality in your life engenders hope and the desire for a positive outcome," says Arthur, whose research has shown that those with a spiritual dimension in their lives reported better overall levels of health. Contact him at 404-651-3426 or garthur@gsu.edu.

Combining church and state
   The relationship between the church and civic duty is well established -- just ask former U.N. ambassador Andrew Young, whose ministerial training and experience led him to establish a civil rights legacy along with another preacher, Martin Luther King Jr. Today, a new program at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University examines these dynamics, and how they can affect policy issues in the public and private sectors. "The cooperation between Georgia State and Columbia Theological Seminary allows students at both schools to learn from a different perspective," says Harvey Newman, professor of public administration and urban studies. "The seminary students are prepared with a better understanding of cities as the place where their ministry takes place. The Georgia State students who will go on to work in local government and civic affairs get a chance to learn alongside the ministers who will one day be leaders within their communities." For more information, contact Newman at 404-651-4596 (office), 404-653-0102 (home) or hnewman@gsu.edu.

Georgia State Leads will be published monthly during the summer by the Department of University Relations. For more information about the publication or to sign up to receive Georgia State Leads, contact Beth Flannigan at 404-651-3574 or bflannigan@gsu.edu.

Don't see what you're looking for? Call University Relations at 404-651-3025 for fast access to faculty experts and university news. After hours and on weekends, contact Betsy Robertson, assistant director, via pager at 404-655-3456.

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