For Immediate Release:
June 13, 2006

Contact:
Nanci Gonder
Office of Public Information
573-751-6062

Health department co-hosts first statewide obesity conference

Finding ways to fight Missouri's obesity problem will be the focus of the first statewide obesity conference sponsored by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The conference, “Missouri Takes Action on Obesity,” will be held June 29 in Jefferson City.

The conference will feature keynote speaker Dr. William Dietz, a nationally recognized expert in the field of obesity from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dietz is the director of the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

Conference sessions will include information about Missouri's Nutrition and Physical Activity Plan to Prevent Obesity and Other Chronic Diseases. The plan is part of Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt's Healthy Missourians' Initiative, which promotes healthier eating and increased physical activity to help Missouri residents avoid obesity and related health problems.

Research shows that obesity is associated with an increased risk of premature death and more than a dozen diseases including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis and some types of cancer.

The conference also will focus on ways schools, child care centers, worksites, communities and health care facilities can help fight obesity.

In the past 15 years, obesity has nearly doubled in Missouri. More than 23 percent of the population is obese and more than half of Missourians are overweight, which could lead to obesity.

Co-sponsors of the obesity conference include the Missouri Council for Activity and Nutrition (MoCAN), the Missouri Foundation for Health, Missouri Hospital Association, KC Healthy Kids, University of Missouri Extension, MediaCross and the Missouri Beef Council.

The registration fee for conference is $25. More information about the conference and registration information can be found at http://www.dhss.mo.gov/Obesity/SaveTheDate2.pdf.