3 . For many young students, the school break is not a time for play, but rather a period of intense working out at weight loss camps. The extreme popularity of these camps is a sign of the alarming trend in China — childhood obesity (过度肥胖). According to a report published by the National Health Commission in 2020, one in five Chinese youth aged 6 — 17 years is overweight or obese, up from just one in 20 in 1995.

This increase is driven by multiple social factors. For instance, heavy coursework at school and a ready availability of digital devices are fixing the country’s younger generations in a more inactive lifestyle. Also, an age-old belief that more food consumption equals better growth has led many parents to spoil their children with an unlimited supply of junk food and late night snacks. Besides, weight gain during their mother’s pregnancy, regularly skipping breakfast, high intake of sweet foods and drinks, and insufficient sleep can all add to the risk of becoming overweight.

Extra weight gained in childhood may likely be carried into adulthood and increase the risks of high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep disorders and cancers. What’s more, the strong feeling of social disapproval related to obesity can also have a dangerous effect on a child’s emotional well-being and self-esteem (自尊). Some of overweight teenagers can’t even finish their primary education.

Therefore, parents should closely monitor their children’s weight from an early age so that they can intervene without delay when signs of obesity show. That does not mean that parents should rely on dietary restriction or slimming pills for dramatic transformations. A balanced diet, regular physical activity, limited screen time and sufficient sleep are enough to help children maintain a healthy weight.

7 . Packaging can play a greater role in keeping produce and other foods fresh, therefore minimizing food waste — especially if consumers can better understand those packaging technologies. That’s among the takeaways of research led by Michigan State University (MSU)’s School of Packaging, detailed in a recently released white paper.

In the United States, food waste in landfills doubled from 1990 to 2020, according to data shared by the US Environmental Protection Agency this year. Researchers cited data showing 40% of the food supply is wasted each year, with 43% of that happening at the consumer or household level.

Ameripen, the only organization exclusively focused on US public policy for the entire packaging industry, and the Environmental Research & Education Foundation funded research that included a survey of more than 1,000 people in the United States. Ameripen said it wanted to know what role packaging could play in reducing household food waste as well as understand consumer awareness of food packaging’s value and functions.

The survey asked consumers about their understanding of packaging forms and willingness to pay more for packaging designed to reduce food waste, among other areas.

The study found that whole fruits and vegetables, particularly bananas and lettuce, are the foods most wasted by households, with dairy products, prepared packaged foods and leftovers also common culprits (罪魁祸首). “Half-eaten packaged food products and food without packaging that went bad before it was eaten are the two primary reasons for food waste in American households, indicating there is opportunity for improved packaging design to help consumers with extending shelf life, reuse and size,” the white paper states.

Researchers reported that while consumers’ current understanding of packaging technologies was “limited”, they indicated “they would pay more for food contained in packaging that extends freshness and shelf life.”

“There’s a need to design packaging for produce that is currently not packaged; that most of the produce in this study was wasted is because there is no packaging at all,” MSU’s Korey Fennel said during the webinar (网络研讨会), also noting the importance of “intelligent packaging” that could indicate the shelf life of food products.

8 . A recent study from Penn State has indicated that interactive screen time such as texting’ and gaming is harmful to adolescents’ sleep. The research casts light on how different types of screen usage can variably impact sleep patterns in teens.

The study was focused on the sleep habits of 15-year-olds. For the analysis, the team conducted daily surveys with 475 adolescents, inquiring about their screen-based activities; including communication methods and entertainment preferences. Besides, the researchers employed special instruments to accurately track the teens' sleep duration (持续期) over a week. These devices, typically worn on the wrist, provided insight into the participants’ activity levels to infer sleep patterns.

The study showed that teens spent an average of two hours per day communicating digitally and around 1 hour playing video games. The experts found that those engaging in interactive screen time before bed spent approximately 30 minutes longer falling asleep compared to those who avoided such activities. And that is what makes the researchers most concerned.

And it was not just interactive screen time before bed that affected kids’ sleep, said the researchers. For each hour that kids spent playing video games beyond their usual routine during the day, their sleep was delayed for about 10 minutes.

“For a child, losing 30 minutes of sleep at night is significant. It makes it especially arduous for them to get up in the morning for school,” said lead author of the study and postdoctoral scholar David Reichenberger. “Without enough sleep, kids are at increased risk of obesity, as well as poor cognition (认知), emotion regulation and mental health.”

“Addressing the problem of what parents can do to help protect their teens’ sleep, its a tricky situation. These tools are really important to everyone nowadays, so it’s hard to put a limit on them, but if you’re really looking out for an adolescent’s health and well-being, then you might consider limiting the more interactive activities, especially in the hour before bed,” said David.

9 . One single night every January, volunteers all over America search parks, woodlands and pavements to count those without shelter. After seeing their own figures for homelessness increase by 20%between 2022 and early 2023. Jersey officials were shocked into action. Officials spent more on rental assistance for those at risk of becoming homeless. More services for people living rough have led to a rise in sheltered homelessness. The state also gathers real time data. In November New Jersey’s Office of Homelessness Prevention released its own figures , showing unsheltered homelessness falling across the state by 23% year on year.

Newark, New Jersey’s largest city and home to the state’s largest homeless population, recorded a 58% reduction in unsheltered homelessness since the start of the year due to the government’s financial support to reduce street homelessness, improve the shelter system and expand housing and prevention services.

Luis Ulerio, the director of Newark’s Office of Homeless Services, says “there’s just been a lot of hard work behind that number.” Mr. Baraka, the mayor (市长)，converted a local primary school into a 166-bed facility. He built temporary housing out of shipping containers. A second cluster (群) of containers with supportive services, called Hope Village II, will open soon. The containers have been altered to look like little cottages. A third cluster is in the works Mr.Baraka wants to create a pipeline from shelters to transitional housing and then to getting long-term homeless people into permanent housing.

More services for people living rough have led to a rise in sheltered homelessness. The city also provides money for overdue rent to prevent homelessness. Beth Shinn of Vanderbilt University points out that it’s cheaper to give $ 200 to help make due rent for the poor than to pay thousands later. The city also relies on data , updated daily by those working with Newark’s homeless people. Real-time data is crucial , he says , in order to carry out interventions in state policy all on the frontline.

10 . Fourth Wing, a novel by Rebecca Yarros, gained attention on BookTok, TikTok’s book community, last year. Published on May 2, its sequel (续集), Iron Flame, followed just six months later on Nov. 7, bringing Yarros fame. Yarros released the first two books quickly because she had written part of Iron Flame beforehand. However, she decided to slow down the release of subsequent books.

The rapid release of these books sparked a debate about whether quality is sacrificed for speed in publishing. Yarros faced criticism for mispronouncing Scottish Gaelic words during a Barnes & Noble Q&A event on the sequel’s release day. Critics suggested better preparation, like hiring a Gaelic proofreader (校对员), to avoid such errors. Despite criticism, Fourth Wing soared to the top of the New York Times’ Best Sellers List within its first week, fueled by BookTok’s influence. This phenomenon parallels fast fashion’s trends, reflecting social media’s impact on reading preferences. Yarros’ ability to blend genres and appeal to BookTok’s favorite tropes contributed to the book’s success.

When books become hugely popular, publishers and authors often rush to take advantage of their success, expanding the series quickly. This rush mirrors the fast fashion industry, where items are rapidly produced to meet trends, sometimes sacrificing quality. Rushed publishing, influenced by platforms like BookTok, may result in insufficient time for writing and editing, potentially compromising the overall quality of the books. Despite concerns, popular books recommended on BookTok can still be enjoyed, whether they’re fancy hardcovers or simple paperbacks.