U.S. Surgeon General to Keynote Special Childhood Obesity Prevention Presentation in Philadelphia

Presentation is part of the U.S. Surgeon General's national tour to highlight communities with effective childhood-obesity prevention programs

PHILADELPHIA, March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- In the United States today, more than 12.5 million children and adolescents - 17.1 percent of people ages 2 to 19 years - are overweight or obese. These children and adolescents are more likely to have serious cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes.

In an effort to combat this obesity epidemic, the U.S. Surgeon General's "Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future" initiative spotlights those communities throughout America that are coming together to address childhood obesity by encouraging kids to eat right and increase exercise to at least 60 minutes a day.

On April 3, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, U.S. Surgeon General Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, MD, MPH, will discuss his "Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future" initiative and talk about ways that people who influence our children -- from parents, to educators, to community leaders and everyone in between -- can help change children's eating and activity habits. The panel will be followed by a question and answer session with the audience.

Participants discussing how their respective organizations are trying to solve the issue of childhood obesity include:

-- Calvin B. Johnson, MD, MPH, Secretary of Health, Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania;
-- Donald F. Schwarz, MD, MPH, Deputy Mayor, Health & Opportunity and
Health Commissioner, Philadelphia Department of Public Health will
speak
-- Tine Hansen-Turton, MGA, JD, Executive Director, National Nursing
Centers Consortium;
-- Mariana Chilton, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Community
Health and Prevention, Drexel University
-- Vanessa Briggs, MBA, RD, LDN, Executive Director, Health Promotion
Council

The program is free and open to the public. The College of Physicians of Philadelphia sponsors the program in collaboration with its PhillyHealthInfo.org health information Web site and its Section on Public Health and Preventative Medicine.

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia is located at 19 South 22nd Street, Philadelphia.

About the College of Physicians of Philadelphia

Founded in 1787, the College of Physicians of Philadelphia is the oldest professional medical organization in the country. The College advances the cause of health, while upholding the ideals and heritage of medicine. The College strives to:

-- Enable individuals, families and communities to take greater
responsibility for their health
-- Improve the health of the public through service to health
professionals
-- Enhance appreciation of the heritage of medicine
-- Provide information for the development of health policy

About PhillyHealthInfo.org

PhillyHealthInfo.org, sponsored by the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the oldest professional medical organization in the country, is dedicated to providing valuable information for your personal health. PhillyHealthInfo.org is supported in part by a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: College of Physicians of Philadelphia

CONTACT: Jon Goff of College of Physicians of Philadelphia,
+1-215-563-3737, ext. 221, jgoff@collphyphil.org

Web site: http://www.phillyhealthinfo.org/

NOTE TO EDITORS: Media are encouraged to attend. To RSVP, or to arrange for an audio recording of the discussion, contact Jon Goff at jgoff@collphyphil.org or 215-563-3737 ext. 221.

2008-03-25 09:19:30 0319558 PRNEWSWIRE