CDC, IOM and NIH Launch “Weight of the Nation” Campaign

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) have joined HBO, Kaiser Permanente and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation in launching a new national campaign to curb obesity rates. According to a January 13, 2012, IOM press release, “The Weight of the Nation” initiative aims to “shed light on the facts and myths of this urgent public health issue and explore how obesity is impacting our nation and health care system.”

The campaign evidently features policy action kits and several media pieces, including a four-part documentary to be aired May 14 and 15, 2012, on HBO, as well as a forthcoming IOM report funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation “that will review progress made so far to implement strategies to curb obesity and recommend selected actions aimed at accelerating progress in the near future.” In particular, the IOM report will target “community groups, policymakers, and other concerned individuals and organizations seeking to implement obesity prevention strategies locally and at the national level.”