HBO Obesity Documentary Now Online

PRESS RELEASE

SOURCE: Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Departments

A powerful four-part documentary called THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION is now available online.  You will find a link to the series on the health department website: www.gnrhealth.com.

Three years in the making, "THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION" examines the facts and myths of this urgent public health issue, showing how obesity affects the health of the nation and the health care system.  The film features case studies and interviews with leading experts, individuals and families struggling with obesity.  The series also highlights how individuals, worksites and communities are making positive changes.

In the United States, 68 percent of adults age 20 and over older are overweight or obese, while 31.7 percent of the nation’s children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese. Obesity contributes to five of the

Ten leading causes of death in America, including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, many cancers, stroke and kidney disease.

"THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION" is a presentation of HBO and the Institute of Medicine, in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, and in partnership with the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente.

For more information on "THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION," visit the Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Departments’ website: www.gnrhealth.com.