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St. Lawrence Health Initiative urges residents to view ‘Weight of the Nation’

Posted 4/29/12

St. Lawrence Health Initiative is encouraging St. Lawrence County residents to view “The Weight of the Nation” a series of shows to air soon on HBO. The show is a presentation of the Institute of …

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St. Lawrence Health Initiative urges residents to view ‘Weight of the Nation’

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St. Lawrence Health Initiative is encouraging St. Lawrence County residents to view “The Weight of the Nation” a series of shows to air soon on HBO.

The show is a presentation of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

In the U.S., 68 percent of adults age 20 and over are overweight or obese, while 31.7 percent of the nation’s children and adolescents age two to 19 are overweight or obese. Obesity contributes to six of the ten leading causes of death in America, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and high blood pressure.

“If we don’t succeed in turning this epidemic around, we are going to face, for the first time in our history, a situation where our children are going to live shorter lives than we do,” says Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

“Obesity-related health care costs about $147 billion annually, and, on average, someone who is obese costs $1400 more a year to care for,” notes Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“To get healthy, we’re all going to have to do our part – individuals, communities, local, state and the federal government. If the obesity trend continues, we’re going to face steadily increasing health care costs, as well as more lives lost to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, many cancers and other complications from obesity.”

“The Weight of the Nation” comprises four documentary films, a three-part HBO Family series, 14 bonus shorts, a social media campaign, a book published by St. Martin’s Press and a nationwide community-based outreach campaign to support the initiative.

The four-part series debuts May 14 and 15 on HBO, with two films airing back-to-back each night. The three-part HBO Family series debuts May 16. All films will also stream free of charge on HBO.com.

The four-part documentary series features case studies and interviews with leading experts and with individuals and families struggling with obesity.

For more information, visit theweightofthenation.hbo.com. For local information about ways to make yourself, school, community, and worksite healthier, visit the Health Initiative’s website, www.gethealthyslc.org.