Daryll Anderson
03-11-2004, 11:39 AM
They want $440 million to study why people are fat? Tell you what, give me $200 Million (over half off) and I will tell you....
People eat to much and sit on their ass. $200 million please:D
HHS campaign to combat U.S. obesity
WASHINGTON, Mar 11, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A
nationwide education campaign launched by the Health and Human Services
Department focuses on a theme of small steps Americans can take to combat a
rising tide of obesity in the United States.
"We're just too darn fat, ladies and gentlemen -- and we're going to do
something about it," said HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson at a news briefing
Tuesday.
The campaign's centerpiece is a trio of public-service television commercials
created by the Ad Council, but the HHS department-wide program also includes
exercise and diet initiatives from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in Atlanta, as well as a three-tiered research plan by the National
Institutes of Health's Obesity Research Task Force.
The HHS announcement coincides with the release of a CDC report that analyzed
all causes of U.S. deaths in 2000. The report suggests poor diet and physical
inactivity soon may surpass tobacco as the leading cause of mortality.
The report, representing a database search of research journal articles, shows
that although 18 percent of U.S. deaths reported in 2000 were tobacco-related,
the combination of poor diet and physical inactivity not far behind at 16.6
percent.
The authors of the article -- published Wednesday in the Journal of the American
Medical Association -- conclude that "a more preventive orientation in the U.S.
healthcare and public health systems has become more urgent."
Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the CDC, said because the findings are 4 years
old, she "would not be at all surprised" if tobacco already had been surpassed.
Both the education program and the Ad Council's campaign focus on steps that can
be taken by individuals, schools and employers to improve their current health
and prevent obesity later.
An estimated 129.6 million Americans, or 64 percent, are overweight or obese,
Thompson said. Despite the grim statistics, the ad campaign keeps a
"provocative, light-hearted, entertaining" theme, he added.
"Guilt does not help people change the way they live, at least not in the long
run," Thompson said, and noted improved public health could have positive
effects on the economy by lowering insurance rates and healthcare costs.
Peggy Conlon, president and chief executive officer of the Ad Council, said New
York ad agency McCann Erickson created the commercials pro bono in partnership
with the council. The television networks ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, Lifetime TV
and Clear Channel will air the commercials, she said.
The three ads -- one of which is in Spanish -- are upbeat and show travelers,
shoppers and beachcombers finding mysterious objects, which turn out to be "love
handles" and a "double chin" that have been "lost" through exercise and diet.
A fourth ad by the Sesame Workshop was presented by Emilio Delgado -- "Luis"
from the children's show "Sesame Street." It features Luis and puppet Elmo
encouraging parents to introduce children to fruits and vegetables.
Margo Wootan, director of nutritional policy for the Center for Science in the
Public Interest in Washington, said public service ads can be a "reasonable
approach."
Encouragement through PSA campaigns is not going to be enough, however, she
said. Instead, the program should focus more on requiring labeling for calories
in fast food restaurants and taking fast food out of schools.
"I think this administration is genuinely concerned about obesity. The rhetoric
is great," Wootan told United Press International. "Rhetoric is a good start --
it's time to move to action."
When asked if he would increase regulation of the food industry, Thompson said
he was reluctant to start prohibiting things. "I'm not in favor of that," he
said.
Roland Sturm, a senior economist for The RAND Corp., a think tank in Santa
Monica, Calif., told UPI he agreed PSA campaigns have not been effective in the
past. Many of the problems leading to obesity are not being addressed by the
current HHS campaign, he said.
Sturm said Americans actually are exercising more than they have ever been
before, but there has been a fall in "incidental activity," such as walking to
the store and walking to school. Much of that is due to the layout of
residential areas, which are becoming more separated from stores and workplaces.
"Trying to make up for that by going to the gym is almost certainly not going to
make up for that," Sturm said.
Such environmental issues will likely be included in the the Strategic Plan for
NIH Obesity Research, said agency director, Dr. Elias Zerhouni. NIH has
requested $440 million in fiscal year 2005 funding for obesity research, up 10
percent from the current year.
The institutes will continue a joint effort to research factors of obesity on
multiple levels because addressing diet and exercise alone will not stop
obesity, Zerhouni said.
First, the NIH hopes to prevent and treat obesity by identifying behavioral and
environmental factors that contribute to obesity in children and adults. The
research will include clinical and population-based studies that examine changes
in diet, physical activity, and environmental factors that could prevent
overeating and sedentary lifestyles.
NIH researchers are hoping to find ways to design an "optimal American society"
for good health, Zerhouni said.
In addition, the NIH plans to examine surgical and medical treatment for
obesity. Researchers hope to identify genetic factors that may lead to obesity,
and identify biologic targets for drugs that could prevent and treat it.
Last, the NIH seeks to break the link between obesity and associated diseases,
such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Although obesity long has been known to lead to these diseases, more must be
learned about the messages sent by fat cells to cause disease, Zerhouni said.
"We want to sever that link," he added.
Gerberding said the CDC would reach out to employers and schools to encourage
more exercise in the workplace by making staircases a more attractive option and
pushing anti-smoking campaigns for schools.
She said her agency already has made its campus smoke-free and has encouraged
employees to exercise, and Thompson said HHS was following suit as part of his
"secretary's challenge."
Dr. Richard Carmona, the U.S. surgeon general, said Americans have been
complacent for too long in fighting obesity, and added the effort must be an
intergenerational one that encourages prevention among children and adults.
"This is a critical juncture in the life of the United States," he said.
People eat to much and sit on their ass. $200 million please:D
HHS campaign to combat U.S. obesity
WASHINGTON, Mar 11, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A
nationwide education campaign launched by the Health and Human Services
Department focuses on a theme of small steps Americans can take to combat a
rising tide of obesity in the United States.
"We're just too darn fat, ladies and gentlemen -- and we're going to do
something about it," said HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson at a news briefing
Tuesday.
The campaign's centerpiece is a trio of public-service television commercials
created by the Ad Council, but the HHS department-wide program also includes
exercise and diet initiatives from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in Atlanta, as well as a three-tiered research plan by the National
Institutes of Health's Obesity Research Task Force.
The HHS announcement coincides with the release of a CDC report that analyzed
all causes of U.S. deaths in 2000. The report suggests poor diet and physical
inactivity soon may surpass tobacco as the leading cause of mortality.
The report, representing a database search of research journal articles, shows
that although 18 percent of U.S. deaths reported in 2000 were tobacco-related,
the combination of poor diet and physical inactivity not far behind at 16.6
percent.
The authors of the article -- published Wednesday in the Journal of the American
Medical Association -- conclude that "a more preventive orientation in the U.S.
healthcare and public health systems has become more urgent."
Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the CDC, said because the findings are 4 years
old, she "would not be at all surprised" if tobacco already had been surpassed.
Both the education program and the Ad Council's campaign focus on steps that can
be taken by individuals, schools and employers to improve their current health
and prevent obesity later.
An estimated 129.6 million Americans, or 64 percent, are overweight or obese,
Thompson said. Despite the grim statistics, the ad campaign keeps a
"provocative, light-hearted, entertaining" theme, he added.
"Guilt does not help people change the way they live, at least not in the long
run," Thompson said, and noted improved public health could have positive
effects on the economy by lowering insurance rates and healthcare costs.
Peggy Conlon, president and chief executive officer of the Ad Council, said New
York ad agency McCann Erickson created the commercials pro bono in partnership
with the council. The television networks ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, Lifetime TV
and Clear Channel will air the commercials, she said.
The three ads -- one of which is in Spanish -- are upbeat and show travelers,
shoppers and beachcombers finding mysterious objects, which turn out to be "love
handles" and a "double chin" that have been "lost" through exercise and diet.
A fourth ad by the Sesame Workshop was presented by Emilio Delgado -- "Luis"
from the children's show "Sesame Street." It features Luis and puppet Elmo
encouraging parents to introduce children to fruits and vegetables.
Margo Wootan, director of nutritional policy for the Center for Science in the
Public Interest in Washington, said public service ads can be a "reasonable
approach."
Encouragement through PSA campaigns is not going to be enough, however, she
said. Instead, the program should focus more on requiring labeling for calories
in fast food restaurants and taking fast food out of schools.
"I think this administration is genuinely concerned about obesity. The rhetoric
is great," Wootan told United Press International. "Rhetoric is a good start --
it's time to move to action."
When asked if he would increase regulation of the food industry, Thompson said
he was reluctant to start prohibiting things. "I'm not in favor of that," he
said.
Roland Sturm, a senior economist for The RAND Corp., a think tank in Santa
Monica, Calif., told UPI he agreed PSA campaigns have not been effective in the
past. Many of the problems leading to obesity are not being addressed by the
current HHS campaign, he said.
Sturm said Americans actually are exercising more than they have ever been
before, but there has been a fall in "incidental activity," such as walking to
the store and walking to school. Much of that is due to the layout of
residential areas, which are becoming more separated from stores and workplaces.
"Trying to make up for that by going to the gym is almost certainly not going to
make up for that," Sturm said.
Such environmental issues will likely be included in the the Strategic Plan for
NIH Obesity Research, said agency director, Dr. Elias Zerhouni. NIH has
requested $440 million in fiscal year 2005 funding for obesity research, up 10
percent from the current year.
The institutes will continue a joint effort to research factors of obesity on
multiple levels because addressing diet and exercise alone will not stop
obesity, Zerhouni said.
First, the NIH hopes to prevent and treat obesity by identifying behavioral and
environmental factors that contribute to obesity in children and adults. The
research will include clinical and population-based studies that examine changes
in diet, physical activity, and environmental factors that could prevent
overeating and sedentary lifestyles.
NIH researchers are hoping to find ways to design an "optimal American society"
for good health, Zerhouni said.
In addition, the NIH plans to examine surgical and medical treatment for
obesity. Researchers hope to identify genetic factors that may lead to obesity,
and identify biologic targets for drugs that could prevent and treat it.
Last, the NIH seeks to break the link between obesity and associated diseases,
such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Although obesity long has been known to lead to these diseases, more must be
learned about the messages sent by fat cells to cause disease, Zerhouni said.
"We want to sever that link," he added.
Gerberding said the CDC would reach out to employers and schools to encourage
more exercise in the workplace by making staircases a more attractive option and
pushing anti-smoking campaigns for schools.
She said her agency already has made its campus smoke-free and has encouraged
employees to exercise, and Thompson said HHS was following suit as part of his
"secretary's challenge."
Dr. Richard Carmona, the U.S. surgeon general, said Americans have been
complacent for too long in fighting obesity, and added the effort must be an
intergenerational one that encourages prevention among children and adults.
"This is a critical juncture in the life of the United States," he said.