>Thank you to MPH student Sarah Berkley for sharing the information below:

>HBO documentary that is coming out about 
>Obesity. For the week of May 14th, anyone can 
>watch it even if you do not subscribe to (pay 
>for) HBO. HBO has partnered with CDC and NIH and 
>some other organizations to develop a 
>multifaceted approach, so it's more than just 
>the documentary/education piece. There is also a 
>conference and community outreach!
>
>Please pardon the cross-posting.
>
>Below is a press release regarding an upcoming 
>public health campaign, The Weight of the Nation, to be launched in May 2012.
>
>Please see http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/# 
>to sign up for the campaign newsletter or host a 
>community screening event. In addition to the 
>community screenings of the main films, and 
>on-demand access to the online short films, 
>non-HBO subscribers will be able to view the 
>films when they are broadcast May 14-16. HBO’s 
>local affiliates are removing the subscription 
>requirement for the week of May 14, and this 
>will give access to non-subscribers.
>
>__________________________________________
>
>For Immediate Release
>THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION, A MULTI-PART, 
>MULTI-PLATFORM SERIES ADDRESSING THE NATIONAL 
>OBESITY EPIDEMIC, DEBUTS IN MAY ON HBO
>
>LOS ANGELES, Jan. 13, 2012 ­ Continuingg its 
>tradition of spotlighting the nation’s most 
>pressing health issues in such presentations as 
>“Addiction� and “The Alzheimer’s 
>Project,� HBO addresses obesity in THE WEIGHT 
>OF THE NATION, helping launch one of the most 
>far-reaching public health campaigns on this 
>epidemic to date. The multi-part, multiplatform 
>series debuts in May, exclusively on HBO.
>
>In the U.S., 68% of adults age 20 and over are 
>overweight or obese, while 31.7% 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.**
>
>Bringing together the nation’s leading 
>research institutions, THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION 
>is being developed in partnership with the 
>Institute of Medicine (IOM), in association with 
>the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
>(CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), the 
>Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente.
>
>“Obesity has become one of the most serious 
>threats to the health of the American people,� 
>comments Harvey V. Fineberg, M.D., Ph.D., 
>president of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies.
>
>“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 MONDAY, MAY 14 and 
>TUESDAY, MAY 15, on HBO, with two films airing 
>back-to-back each night. The three-part HBO 
>Family series debuts WEDNESDAY, MAY 16.
>
>To ensure the widest possible audience, HBO will 
>use all its services, including the main HBO 
>channel, multiplex channels, HBO On Demand, HBO 
>GO and more. All films will also stream free of 
>charge on HBO.com, as well as on multiple 
>platforms by participating television service providers.
>
>Three years in the making, THE WEIGHT OF THE 
>NATION spotlights the facts and myths of this 
>urgent public health issue, showing how obesity 
>affects the health of the nation and cripples 
>the health care system. Type 2 diabetes, 
>cardiovascular disease, cancer and arthritis are 
>just a few of the diseases directly linked to 
>obesity and will dramatically increase if the status quo does not change.
>
>Like many other public health problems, 
>overweight and obesity have disproportionate 
>impacts on disadvantaged communities and racial 
>and ethnic minorities. Nine of the 10 states 
>with the highest obesity prevalence are also among the poorest.***
>
>Americans are eating too much and too often, and 
>not getting enough physical activity. Less 
>healthy foods, such as soda, chips and candy, 
>have become relatively less expensive, while 
>more nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables 
>have become relatively more expensive. What’s 
>more, access to healthy food is a challenge for 
>many communities. Compounding the problem are 
>strong societal forces compelling people to eat more and move less.
>
>The centerpiece of THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION is 
>the four-part documentary series, featuring case 
>studies and interviews with leading experts and 
>with individuals and families struggling with obesity.
>
>The first film, “Consequences,� examines the 
>scope of the obesity epidemic and explores the 
>serious health consequences of being overweight or obese.
>
>The second film, “Choices,� gives viewers 
>the skinny on fat, revealing what science has 
>shown about how to lose weight, maintain weight loss and prevent weight gain.
>
>The third film, “Children in Crisis,� 
>documents the damage obesity is doing to the 
>nation’s children, tackling subjects ranging 
>from school lunches to the decline of physical 
>education to the marketing of unhealthy food to children.
>
>The fourth film, “Challenges,� examines the 
>major forces behind the obesity epidemic, 
>including agriculture, economics, evolutionary 
>biology, food marketing, racial and 
>socioeconomic disparities, physical inactivity, 
>American food culture and the strong influence 
>of the food and beverage industry.
>
>HBO Family’s “The Weight of the Nation for 
>Kids,� a series of three half-hour films, 
>looks at children who have taken action to 
>prevent obesity in their own lives and 
>communities. From the Rethinkers, a group of New 
>Orleans students, to the heartwarming story of a 
>Goldsboro, NC high school student, the films 
>offer inspiring examples of kids who have made a difference.
>
>In conjunction with the launch of THE WEIGHT OF 
>THE NATION films, the IOM will feature a new 
>report at the CDC’s Weight of the Nation™ 
>conference, May 7-9,  that reviews the progress 
>made to date in curbing obesity and recommends 
>selected strategies and actions that can 
>accelerate progress in the near future.
>
>To facilitate community action, the campaign 
>will reach deep into local areas to distribute 
>40,000 community action kits to community-based 
>organizations working on obesity prevention. The 
>kits, consisting of the entire series, 
>discussion guides in English and Spanish, and 
>tips and supplemental materials for hosting 
>screenings, will provide essential tools to 
>catalyze and support local efforts in 
>communities that combat obesity across the country.
>
>Sources:
>*National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
>** Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
>*** Youfa Wang and May A. Beydoun, From the 
>Center for Human Nutrition, Department of 
>International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg 
>School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md. Jan. 25, 2007.
>
>ABOUT THE PARTNERS
>
>INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
>Established in 1970 under the charter of the 
>National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of 
>Medicine provides objective, evidence-based 
>advice to policymakers, health professionals, 
>the private sector, and the public. The National 
>Academy of Sciences, National Academy of 
>Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National 
>Research Council make up the independent, 
>nonprofit National Academies. For more 
>information, visit national-academies.org or iom.edu
>
>CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC)
>CDC works 24/7 saving lives, protecting people 
>from health threats, and saving money through 
>prevention. Whether these threats are global or 
>domestic, chronic or acute, curable or 
>preventable, natural disaster or deliberate 
>attack, CDC is the nation’s health protection 
>agency. CDC is a component of the U.S. 
>Department of Health and Human Services. www.cdc.gov.
>
>THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH)
>NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, 
>includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a 
>component of the U.S. Department of Health and 
>Human Services. NIH is the primary federal 
>agency conducting and supporting basic, 
>clinical, and translational medical research, 
>and is investigating the causes, treatments, and 
>cures for both common and rare diseases. For 
>more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
>
>THE MICHAEL & SUSAN DELL FOUNDATION
>The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation is dedicated 
>to improving the lives of children living in 
>urban poverty around the world. With offices in 
>Austin, TX, Cape Town, South Africa and New 
>Delhi, India, the Dell family foundation funds 
>programs that foster high-quality public 
>education and childhood health, and improve the 
>economic stability of families living in 
>poverty. The foundation has committed more than 
>$825 million to global children’s issues and 
>community initiatives to date. www.msdf.org.
>
>KAISER PERMANENTE
>Kaiser Permanente brings together its clinical 
>expertise, research capabilities and community 
>engagement efforts to combat childhood obesity 
>and to improve the health of its members and the 
>communities it serves. The organization’s 
>Community Health Initiatives for Healthy Eating 
>Active Living support more than 40 place-based 
>obesity prevention collaboratives, which work 
>with community residents, non-profit 
>organizations and government agencies to 
>increase access to healthy food and 
>opportunities for physical activity in schools, 
>neighborhoods and orkplaces. In 2009, Kaiser 
>Permanente received the Pioneering Innovation 
>award from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control 
>and Prevention for its groundbreaking obesity 
>prevention efforts. As the nation’s largest 
>integrated delivery system, the organization 
>pioneered efforts such as BMI and exercise as 
>Vital Signs, which have become standards of 
>practice in the health care sector. Every Body 
>Walk!, a public awareness campaign powered by 
>Kaiser Permanente, aims to get people walking 30 
>minutes a day, five days a week to improve their overall health. For
>more information, visit www.kp.org/communitybenefit.

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