AHA and RWJF Offer Obesity Sourcebook

Overweight and obesity, especially among children, have emerged as serious threats to our nation's health. They have risen rapidly among women, men, and children of all racial and ethnic groups. And the trend is projected to continue. Recent research suggests that, if childhood obesity continues to increase, it could cut two to five years from the average lifespan. That could cause our current generation of children to become the first in American history to live shorter lives than their parents.

In response to the health concerns associated with obesity, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Heart Association have created a statistical sourcebook on obesity. This publication, A Nation at Risk: Obesity in the United States, illustrates how prevalent obesity has become and examines the factors that contribute to the patterns of unhealthy eating and insufficient physical activity that are at the heart of this epidemic.

Learn the facts about obesity by ordering A Nation at Risk: Obesity in the United States. To pre-order your free copy to be delivered in May, please contact the American Heart Association at 1-800-AHA-USA1 or send e-mail to inquiries@heart.org

To learn more about the Foundation's activities focusing on the issue of childhood obesity, visit the Childhood Obesity Interest Area on the RWJF Web site.