Government
HHS targets nation's waistline
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted March 22, 2004
With obesity bearing down on tobacco use as the leading preventable cause of death, Dept. of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced a national education campaign and a new research strategy to help reduce the number of overweight Americans.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, published in the March 10 JAMA, found deaths due to poor diet and inactivity rose by 33% over the past decade, causing 400,000 deaths in the United States in 2000.
"We need to tackle America's weight issues as aggressively as we are addressing smoking and tobacco," Thompson said.
The education campaign will urge Americans to make small changes, such as using the stairs instead of an elevator or taking a walk instead of watching television. The National Institutes of Health will also develop a strategic plan for obesity research.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/03/22/gvbf0322.htm.
