Did you know that obesity is a leading cause of illness and death in the United States? Did you know that obesity is preventable?
Over the past several years you have heard the staggering statistics that two-thirds of all adults and nearly one-third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese, medical costs related to obesity have risen to $147 billion in 2006, one in four adults get no moderate or vigorous physical activity at all, the average 8-18 year-old spends 4.5 hours a day watching TV and the average adult spends 3 hours.
Why am I rehashing all of this? Well, the picture isn’t improving and there is no magic pill. The primary factors of obesity are well-known and preventable: not enough physical activity and too many calories. These unhealthy habits are rubbing off on our children. What will their odds be to lead a healthy, active life if we as adults and the decision makers in our children’s lives don’t set the example?
There is no better time than now to start taking steps to reverse these trends and help improve the quality of life for everyone in our community, especially our children.
The YMCA’s in Naperville and the FORWARD Coalition invite you to attend a film screening of the HBO Documentary, THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION, an in-depth look at obesity followed by a lively discussion about how we can work to reduce obesity rates locally and nationally.
The screening will be held at City Hall, 400 S. Eagle St. on Oct. 9. Doors will open at 6PM and opening comments will begin at 6:20PM. We will condense the 4-hour documentary to 1 hour. Physicians will be on hand afterward to answer questions.
This will be an excellent opportunity for you to join our efforts to combat obesity, learn more about maintaining a healthy lifestyle for you and your loved ones, and contribute to recommendations on how local businesses and other organizations can improve our community to empower individuals and families to make healthier choices.
It is estimated that if the current trend continues up to 50 percent of the population will be obese by 2030. Let’s turn that trend around. Hope to see you Oct. 9.
