This is an event of the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Have we tipped the scale towards achieving a healthy weight? What are the most promising opportunities that will drive future progress and action in obesity prevention and treatment? Beginning with a spirited conversation with former Surgeon General David Satcher, who started it all with his 2001 Call to Action on obesity, and Jeff Koplan, former Director of the CDC, this workshop will answer these questions and more. Thought leaders from health policy, philanthropy, business, health care, early education, and other key sectors will present their visions for conquering obesity and offer practical steps to get there.
In 2001, Surgeon General David Satcher issued a Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity, putting the national spotlight on obesity for the first time. In response, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine conducted several expert consensus studies on the topic, including prevention of childhood obesity, the effects of food marketing on children, and the evaluation of prevention efforts. A standing committee continued this work, and in 2012, the Academies released Accelerating Progress on Obesity Prevention: Solving the Weight of the Nation, which highlighted the need for engaging everyone, from all levels (from individuals, to families, to communities, to society) and across all sectors, to implement large-scale transformative approaches to address the environmental and policy drivers of the epidemic. Today, the Roundtable on Obesity Solutions supports this vision by bringing together leaders from business, policy, public health, health care, and other important sectors to advance obesity prevention and treatment.