At the end of July, the Spectrum team attended the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Weight of the Nation conference, which featured public health experts, medical personnel, and policymakers, coming together to discuss obesity in America. The conference – the CDC’s first on the topic – was a direct response to the fast growing epidemic of obesity in America. For example:
- More than 60 percent of American adults and 30 percent of American children are overweight and obese, which can lead to many chronic health risks, including diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, and
- The United States ranks last among nations in reducing the number of preventable deaths resulting from obesity-related chronic illnesses (CDC).
