Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter knows what he is talking about when he describes the first meal of the day for millions of America's children – a grape soda and a bag of chips. It is the sad reality that is also the focus of the new HBO special Weight of the Nation which was screened on Tuesday May 15 at Prince George's Community College before an audience of adults and young people concerned about the obesity epidemic in America. In Prince George's County 34 percent of the population is considered obese, up from 32 percent a year ago. Prince George's health officials acknowledge that the number is going in the wrong direction and that more needs to be done to increase physical activity and other initiatives currently being developed by the Prince George's County Healthcare Coalition. A broad-based community awareness campaign is needed to overcome a wide-range of variables that contribute to obesity including impact of fast food restaurants that make up 71 percent of all food establishments in the county. The high incidence of obesity in this country begs the question of who is responsible for fixing it. We suggest everyone is – government, schools, elected officials, the medical community retail food stores, individuals and parents – it's everyone's role to take control of their weight and get healthy.
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- Written by WI Staff
- Thursday, 17 May 2012 20:01
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