Shaping America's Health

Fighting Obesity is America's Greatest Healthcare Challenge

Our goal is to empower communities across America to permanently reduce childhood, and family obesity.

At Shaping America's Health we believe it is all about communities. Building a sustainable culture of healthy behavior throughout the nation must focus on the community where "life" happens. Strategies and initiatives at every level - local, state and national must be centered on children, families and communities. Policy, awareness/education, organization, training, program implementation and evaluation efforts must be directed to empowering and enabling communities to meaningfully address the overweight/obesity crisis.

No matter what position you hold in the community from citizen to mayor, YOU can be a leader! Begin with your family and those you care about and then work to help your community address this critical issue as a whole community - working together to build a sustainable culture of health. Shaping America's Health is here to provide resources that will help you.

"Today's children may become the first generation in history to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents'."- 17th United States Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S.

Obesity Statistics:

  • 67% of Americans (200 million) are overweight or obese - a doubling since 1980. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • Currently one third of American children are either obese or at risk of becoming obese (IOM Progress In Preventing Childhood Obesity)

Coming Events:

September 4-5, 2008 - SAH Childhood Obesity Research Thought Leaders Meeting, St. Louis, Missouri.

September 22, 2008 - Joint Shaping America's Health Board and National Roundtable for Obesity Prevention Meeting, Washington, D.C.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008 - Shaping America's Health is co-leading and sponsoring the First annual "Breakfast with Champions" honoring Members of Congress who have demonstrated significant leadership in the nation's fight to reverse the obesity epidemic during this Congress.

Honorees include:

  • Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA)
  • Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
  • Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR)
  • Representative Joe Baca (D-CA)
  • Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
  • Representative Ron Kind (D-WI)
  • Representative Jon Porter (R-NV)
  • Representative Zach Wamp (R-TN)

October 2-4, 2008 - "Big Task Weekend" Gathering of healthcare, food and physical activity industry/organization executives with government officials to address the cost of healthcare in America by focusing on overweight/obesity and chronic disease.

October, 2008 - Publication of the SAH Consensus Statement - The "Influence of Race, Ethnicity, Culture and Poverty on the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Overweight/Obesity

 

Donors:

Shaping America's Health Partners:

American Diabetes Association

Office of the Surgeon General

United States Department of Health & Human Services

CDC

Public Health Foundation

NAASO The Obesity Society

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Academy of Family Physicians

Free & Clear

James J. Hill Reference Library

American College of Sports Medicine