Mayo Clinic to Host Fourth Annual Action on Obesity Summit

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic will host the fourth annual Action on Obesity Summit on March 8 and 9. The primary objective of this year's summit is to identify content to be used for a state health care policy that focuses on reducing childhood obesity. Summit participants will offer comments to content presented by keynote speakers that can be integrated into an action on childhood obesity policy.

"It's our goal that such a policy related to preventing childhood obesity can be implemented not only in Minnesota, but nationally," says the Summit's chair, Aynsley M. Smith, Ph.D., a sport and exercise psychology consultant and director of research, Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center. "With the alarming increase in childhood obesity, and obesity-related diseases that affect adulthood, there is a need for aggressive action to protect our children."

Content for the proposed policy includes preschool and school nutrition, physical activity recommendations, monitoring of body weight in children, and implementation of surveillance and referral guidelines.

The Action on Obesity Summit has grown in the four years of its existence, "taking action" to raise awareness of obesity as a national epidemic and a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. The summit attracts national speakers and attendees committed to the fight against obesity. Confirmed speakers at this year's summit include David Katz M.D. from the Yale School of Public Health and John Jakicic M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. Susan Rubin M.D., producer of the "Two Angry Moms" documentary, and Naomi Boak of Twin Cities Public Television, both will show portions of their upcoming documentaries. Speakers from Minnesota who will address health care policy include Minnesota Senate Minority Leader David Senjem, former State Rep. Carla Nelson, former State Sen. Sheila Kiscaden, and others who will contribute content to guide policy for Minnesota school children.

The summit brings together diverse perspectives on the obesity epidemic, including representation from Mayo Clinic, government health associations, elected officials, academia, businesses, food industries, public schools and the media. The summit will be moderated by Hugh Smith, M.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and former chair of the Mayo Clinic Board of Governors.

For more information, visit www.actiononobesity.org.

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