Excerpt

Overweight and obesity have reached nationwide epidemic proportions. Both the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity and their associated health problems are important public health goals. To achieve these goals, The Surgeon General's Call To Action To Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity is committed to five overarching principles: promote the recognition of overweight and obesity as major public health problems; assist Americans in balancing healthful eating with regular physical activity to achieve and maintain a healthy or healthier body weight; identify effective and culturally appropriate interventions to prevent and treat overweight and obesity; encourage environmental changes that help prevent overweight and obesity; develop and enhance public-private partnerships to help implement this vision.

Contents

• The Increasing Prevalence of Obesity Among U.S. Adults
• Message From the Secretary U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Foreword From the Surgeon General
  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Section 1: Overweight and Obesity as Public Health Problems in America
  • Measuring Overweight and Obesity
  • Health Risks
  • Economic Consequences
  • Epidemiology
  • Disparities in Prevalence
  • Health Benefits of Weight Loss
• Section 2: Posing Questions and Developing Strategies
  • Developing a Public Health Response
  • CARE To Address Overweight and Obesity
• Section 3: The Power of People and Ideas
  • Individuals
  • Organizations
  • Industry
  • Communities
  • Government
  • Creating National Action
  • Sustaining National Action
• Section 4: Vision for the Future
  • Surgeon General's Priorities for Action
  • Conclusion
• Acknowledgments
• Steering Committee Roster
• Appendix A: Examples of Federal Programs and Initiatives
• Appendix B: Federal Program Resource List
• References

In Memory of Paul Ambrose, MD, MPH (December 26, 1968-September 11, 2001) Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As senior editor of this Call To Action, Dr. Ambrose's commitment to promoting public health and preventing disease was a critical force in the development of this document.

Suggested citation:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General’s call to action to prevent and decrease overweight and obesity. [Rockville, MD]: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General; [2001]. Available from: U.S. GPO, Washington.