The Weight of the Nation is a four part HBO series on obesity. HBO is also making download materials available in English and Spanish for each of the films. Additionally, there is access to information to hold a screening in your hometown, club, school or other venue.
The series brings together some of the nation's leading research instutions, and is a presentation of HBO and the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and in partnership with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente.
1. The first film, CONSEQUENCES, examines the scope of the obesity epidemic and explores the serious health consequences of being overweight or obese.
2. The second, CHOICES, offers viewers the skinny on fat, revealing what science has shown about how to lose weight, maintain weight loss and prevent weight gain.
3. The third, CHILDREN IN CRISIS, documents the damage obesity is doing to our nation’s children. Through individual stories, this film describes how the strong forces at work in our society are causing children to consume too many calories and expend too little energy; tackling subjects from school lunches to the decline of physical education, the demise of school recess and the marketing of unhealthy food to children.
4. The fourth film, CHALLENGES, examines the major driving forces causing the obesity epidemic, including agriculture, economics, evolutionary biology, food marketing, racial and socioeconomic disparities, physical inactivity, American food culture, and the strong influence of the food and beverage industry.
The increasing prevalence of overweight and obese children and adults is a serious concern for Texas. Being overweight increases a person’s risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and other serious medical conditions that impact quality of life and have substantial economic consequences for our healthcare system. The economic costs of overweight and obesity in Texas during 2001 were an estimated $10.5 billion. This includes direct healthcare costs, such as medicines and hospital stays, and indirect costs, such as lost productivity and wages due to illness and death. If the trend in increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity persists, the annual costs associated with excess weight in Texas is projected to reach $15.6 billion by 2010 and could skyrocket to $39 billion by the year 2040. Obesity and obesity related disabilities affects many aspects of life from healthcare, transportation to emergency management and more.
Texas also has a video series called Texas! Bringing Healthy Back presents Growing Community. To learn more about Texas and obesity and find videos and other resources, go to http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/obesity/
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