Published:
Acting U.S. Surgeon General to Speak to Society for Adolescent Medicine on Prevention of Adolescent Overweight and Obesity
GREENSBORO, N.C., March 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Acting U.S. Surgeon
General Rear Adm. Steven K. Galson, MD, MPH, will speak on preventing
adolescent overweight and obesity to members of the Society for Adolescent
Medicine (SAM) at their annual meeting being held inGreensboro, NC next week.
Dr. Galson will speak on Friday, March 28 at 9 am during the plenary session
to nearly 500 SAM members. In early March Dr. Galson kicked off a nationwide
tour to promote the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Childhood
Overweight and Obesity Prevention Initiative, "Healthy Youth for a Healthy
Future," which targets overweight and obesity prevention and the promotion of
healthy lifestyles for children.
The tour coincides with the theme for SAM's annual meeting: Adolescent
Obesity: Prevention and Treatment. Members of SAM will discuss how they can
help create environments for children and adolescents that focus on improving
access to affordable healthy foods and provide opportunities for safe physical
activity in schools and communities. In addition, experts in adolescent
obesity will review how current treatment strategies that tackle adolescent
obesity (behavioral, pharmacological, and bariatric surgery) can be
implemented.
According to Dr. Galson, "Today more than 12.5 million children and
adolescents 2 to 19 years of age are overweight and are at greater risk for
numerous health consequences such as cardiovascular disease and type 2
diabetes. By taking a look at what each of us can do in our lives and
communities to make ourselves and our families healthier, we can begin to
tackle this epidemic."
Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, will open the conference and discuss the scope of the adolescent
obesity epidemic, its impact on health and on society, and the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation's vision for reversing the epidemic by 2015. Dr. Lavizzo-
Mourey is a national leader in transforming America's health systems so young
people can live healthier lives and receive the health care they need. In
April of 2007, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation pledged $500 million over
the next five years to combat childhood obesity in the US - the largest
commitment by any foundation to this issue.
The keynote speaker for the conference is Kelly Brownell, PhD, MPH,
Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Epidemiology and Public Health
at Yale University and the Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and
Obesity. Dr. Brownell is an internationally known expert on weight control. He
has written 13 books and more than 200 research papers and book chapters, and
holds appointments on 10 editorial boards. Dr. Brownell will discuss
opportunities for addressing obesity clinically, as well as ways for health
professionals to become active in changing the broader landscape by arguing
for changes in schools, communities and the nation.
For more information on the meeting, or to arrange an interview, please
contact Vaughn I. Rickert, PsyD, at 845-300-3170 or via e-mail at
vir2002@columbia.edu or Martin Fisher, MD, at 516-457-7296 or via e-mail at
fisher@nshs.edu. For more in-depth information about the Society for
Adolescent Medicine, visit the SAM website at http://www.adolescenthealth.org
SAM is a multi-disciplinary organization of health professionals who are
committed to advancing the health and well-being of adolescents. Through
education, research, clinical services, and advocacy activities, members of
the Society for Adolescent Medicine strive to enhance public and professional
awareness of adolescent health issues among families, educators, policy
makers, youth-serving organizations, students who are considering a health
career as well as other health professionals.
This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information,
visit http://www.ereleases.com.
SOURCE Society for Adolescent Medicine
Copyright © 2008, PRNewswire
Copyright © 2008, NewsBlaze,
Daily NewsTags: ,HEA,MTC,EDU,CHI,NPT,POL,NC-Adolescent-obesity
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