In the 2001 Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity, former Surgeon General David Satcher, MD, PhD, warned of the negative effects of the increasing weight of American citizens and outlined a public health response to reverse the trend. The Surgeon General plans to strengthen and expand this blueprint for action created by her predecessor. Although the country has made some strides since 2001, the prevalence of obesity, obesity-related diseases, and premature death remains too high.

The prevalence of childhood obesity is so high in the United States that it may reduce the life expectancy of today's generation of children. While parents and other adult caregivers play a fundamental role in teaching children about healthy behaviors, even the most positive efforts can be undermined by local environments that are poorly suited to supporting healthy behaviors. For example, many communities lack ready sources of healthy food choices, such as supermarkets and grocery stores. Or they may not provide safe places for children to walk or play. In such communities, even the most motivated child or adolescent may find it difficult to act in healthy ways. Local governments-with jurisdiction over many aspects of land use, food marketing, community planning, transportation, health and nutrition programs, and other community issues-are ideally positioned to promote behaviors that will help children and adolescents reach and maintain healthy weights. Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity presents a number of recommendations that touch on the vital role of government actions on all levels-federal, state, and local-in childhood obesity prevention. The book offers healthy eating and physical activity strategies for local governments to consider, making it an excellent resource for mayors, managers, commissioners, council members, county board members, and administrators.

Overweight and obesity affects over half of all men and women in OECD countries. This has significant health and economic consequences. As part of OECD’s work on promoting best practices in public health, this report outlines policy recommendations on how to address two leading overweight risk factors: poor diet and lack of physical activity.

Regular physical activity is an important key to a healthy, happy lifestyle. The many benefits of daily physical activity include more energy; less stress; better sleep; reduced risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes; stronger bones, joints, and muscles; and an overall healthier and longer independent life. If you're ready to become active, fit, and healthy, Active Living Every Day, Third Edition With Web Resource, provides all the tools you need to get moving and make physical activity part of your everyday life. More than a book, Active Living Every Day presents a scientifically tested step-by-step program with evidence-based behavior change strategies for becoming more physically active. Designed to make active lifestyles available to people everywhere, it offers updated research showing the need to be physically active and demonstrates the proven effectiveness of this program. Practical and accessible, this third edition offers streamlined delivery for a clear, focused read. Learn simple and enjoyable ways to fit physical activity into your life, concentrating on activities you can easily add into your daily routine. Create your own personalized activity plan unique to your individual preferences and lifestyle. With an emphasis on moderate-intensity activities, you'll also learn how everyday activities, like housecleaning and gardening, can count toward your weekly physical activity goals. Develop confidence by gaining problem-solving skills, overcoming obstacles, and learning how to increase intensity when desired. The tips and participants' stories in this book, plus a web resource offering activities for practice, offer the support and guidance you need to make healthy changes in your life. With Active Living Every Day, Third Edition, join thousands of people just like you who have used this program to achieve lifelong success in becoming active every day. Earn continuing education credits/units! A continuing education course and exam that uses this book is also available. It may be purchased separately or as part of a package that includes all the course materials and exam.

Based on careful analysis of burden of disease and the costs ofinterventions, this second edition of 'Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries, 2nd edition' highlights achievable priorities; measures progresstoward providing efficient, equitable care; promotes cost-effectiveinterventions to targeted populations; and encourages integrated effortsto optimize health. Nearly 500 experts - scientists, epidemiologists, health economists,academicians, and public health practitioners - from around the worldcontributed to the data sources and methodologies, and identifiedchallenges and priorities, resulting in this integrated, comprehensivereference volume on the state of health in developing countries.

Promoting Active Lifestyles in Schools helps you promote healthy, active lifestyles in schools—in physical education classes and throughout the day. The text includes diverse activities that are developmentally appropriate, inclusive and progressive; monitoring tools; and a web resource to aid learning and implementation. The authors also suggest ways to work with parents and caregivers to promote active lifestyles.

Overweight & obesity (O&O) have reached nationwide epidemic proportions. Both the prevention & treatment of O&O & their assoc. health problems are important public health goals. To achieve these goals, this report is committed to 5 principles: promote the recognition of O&O as major public health problems; assist Amer. in balancing healthful eating with regular physical activity to achieve & maintain a healthy body weight; identify effective & culturally appropriate interventions to prevent & treat O&O; encourage environmental changes that help prevent O&O; & develop & enhance public-private partnerships to help implement this vision. Examples of programs. Resource list.

Children's health has made tremendous strides over the past century. In general, life expectancy has increased by more than thirty years since 1900 and much of this improvement is due to the reduction of infant and early childhood mortality. Given this trajectory toward a healthier childhood, we begin the 21st-century with a shocking developmentâ€"an epidemic of obesity in children and youth. The increased number of obese children throughout the U.S. during the past 25 years has led policymakers to rank it as one of the most critical public health threats of the 21st-century. Preventing Childhood Obesity provides a broad-based examination of the nature, extent, and consequences of obesity in U.S. children and youth, including the social, environmental, medical, and dietary factors responsible for its increased prevalence. The book also offers a prevention-oriented action plan that identifies the most promising array of short-term and longer-term interventions, as well as recommendations for the roles and responsibilities of numerous stakeholders in various sectors of society to reduce its future occurrence. Preventing Childhood Obesity explores the underlying causes of this serious health problem and the actions needed to initiate, support, and sustain the societal and lifestyle changes that can reverse the trend among our children and youth.

Creating an environment in which children in the United States grow up healthy should be a high priority for the nation. Yet the prevailing pattern of food and beverage marketing to children in America represents, at best, a missed opportunity, and at worst, a direct threat to the health prospects of the next generation. Children's dietary and related health patterns are shaped by the interplay of many factorsâ€"their biologic affinities, their culture and values, their economic status, their physical and social environments, and their commercial media environmentsâ€"all of which, apart from their genetic predispositions, have undergone significant transformations during the past three decades. Among these environments, none have more rapidly assumed central socializing roles among children and youth than the media. With the growth in the variety and the penetration of the media have come a parallel growth with their use for marketing, including the marketing of food and beverage products. What impact has food and beverage marketing had on the dietary patterns and health status of American children? The answer to this question has the potential to shape a generation and is the focus of Food Marketing to Children and Youth. This book will be of interest to parents, federal and state government agencies, educators and schools, health care professionals, industry companies, industry trade groups, media, and those involved in community and consumer advocacy.