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V. S. HUBBARD, NIH Division of Nutrition Research Coordination, National Institute of Health, 6707 Democracy Blvd., MSC 5461, 2 Democracy, Rm. 631, Bethesda, MD 20892-5461 The President's HealthierUS Initiative, DHHS's Steps to a HealthierUS Initiative and Healthy People 2010 are major national prevention initiatives targeted for the promotion of health and disease prevention. Stemming the tide of the increasing prevalence of overweight (BMI ³ 25) and obesity (BMI ³ 30) in adults and a BMI equal or greater than the 95th percentile derived from the revised CDC/NCHS growth curves in youth, and encouraging people to move toward a healthier weight are major public health goals. We must seek consistency in the delivery of public health messages. The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity was released in December 2001. Its purpose was to alert the American public to the critical nature of the epidemic of overweight and obesity and to mobilize national collaborative efforts to address it. The document emphasizes the impact of overweight and obesity on health and identifies several critical priorities for action. The creation of public/private working groups formed around key themes or the major settings in which obesity prevention and treatment efforts need to take place. Consistent objectives of all of these activities include the heightening of awareness by the public and the health care provider of factors associated with the development of overweight and obesity, the relative health consequences of increased body weight, and appropriate considerations for prevention or intervention. The health consequences of increased body weight are part of a continuum. Numerous studies have noted the disparities in prevalence of overweight and obesity among populations of different ethnic origin. Similarly, there are marked differences in the health risk at a given BMI, especially within certain ethnic groups. The challenge is to develop appropriate health messages and interactions with our academic and public health colleagues, industry, the public and the media to convey the concepts relating to weight, weight management, and health risks associated with various degrees being overweight or obese.
Session 9, Politics of obesity: Revisited
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