Weight of the Nation

What is the  “Weight of the Nation” Documentary?

(Our) “Children in Crisis”

Weight of the Nation brings together people in the community, such as practitioners, policy makers, nurses, dieticians, along with other concerned partners devoted to obesity prevention and control. Come meet with experts in the field and hear -  first-hand the knowledge they have to share and possible strategies and solutions they have to offer in beating the obesity/diabetes epidemic in our community. Obesity is among the most pressing health issue we face in the U.S., and it is increasingly a problem across the globe. If we’re going to win the war against obesity….we have to lose.

Childhood (and Adult) obesity is much more than a cosmetic concern. The health consequences of childhood obesity include greater risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, asthma and other serious illnesses. The combination of these health affects and the dramatic increase of childhood obesity rates over the past three decades cause some experts to fear this may be the first generation of American children who will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.

According to the Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, “Children are thrust into a culture that fosters eating at every hour of the day, around every corner of every street that they go on. “ According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2/3 of the nations’  adults are overweight or obese, as are almost a third of its children. Millions of Americans, including more and more children are struggling with life-long chronic diseases associated with obesity- not to mention that it  costs the U.S. an estimated $147 billion in medical costs annually. Obesity can no longer be framed or dismissed as purely a personal problem—we are all in this together.

Our children’s health is under siege at an unprecedented level by an array of forces, some of which are well outside any parents’ control. The good news is that there are resources available for concerned parents who want to help their kids (and themselves).  With hard work, we can improve the health of our children.  With forums, such as this one, parents and  concerned community members, will have the opportunity to ask questions of doctors, nurses and policy makers about possible solutions to overcome the obstacles in their environment. 

“We never thought that type 2 diabetes would occur in children, but now it’s not uncommon at all. These are serious consequences, and the tendency to dismiss this, or to perhaps see it in some children as a normal way of life, is getting in the way of recognizing a real public health emergency.”

                                                                Dr. Francis S. Collins, Director-National Institute for Health