Obesity and "the Weight of the Nation"

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that over one-third of adults (35.7%) and approximately 17% of children and adolescents are obese, and this rate is only expected to rise in the coming years. From May 7-9, over 1,200 people --public health researchers and practitioners, policy makers, and national partners devoted to obesity prevention and control -- gathered  in Washington D.C. for the "Weight of the Nation 2012" conference, with the goal of raising awareness of this epidemic, and sharing what can help to turn the situation around.
"Weight of the Nation" is also a documentary series and public health campaign collaboration by HBO, the Institute of Medicine, CDC, the National Institutes of Health, and made in partnership with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente. At the center of this effort is a series of "four feature films that take an unflinching look at the severity of the obesity epidemic and its crippling effects on our health care system."

• Part 1: Consequences
• Part 2: Choices
• Part 3: Children in Crisis
• Part 4: Challenges

Each film is about an hour in length, well-written and engaging. Below is the first one to get you started.