BET Foundation Jump Starts 2007 With Fresh Slate of Optimum Health and Wellness Efforts

BET Foundation Jump Starts 2007 With Fresh Slate of Optimum Health and Wellness Efforts

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Culminating an action-packed year of health and wellness programs, the BET Foundation, Inc. announced today plans to continue its efforts in educating and motivating the African-American community under a new theme, Creating A New Legacy Of African-American Health. In collaboration with General Mills, BET is well positioned to address the various health-related issues that disproportionately impact African Americans, specifically obesity and cardiovascular-related diseases.

According to the National Institutes of Health, one-third of the U.S. population are obese. Statistics presently show that African-American women represent a staggering 81.6 percent of obese women while African-American and Hispanic children make up 33 percent of obese children. "Given the high prevalence of obesity among African-American women and the unique challenges facing women in this country, we know the importance of finding unique and innovative ways to educate minorities about adopting a healthy lifestyle and enhancing the quality of their life," stated Debra Lee, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BET Networks. "Through the BET Foundation's multi- faceted health and wellness educational campaign, we hope to inspire individuals to strive towards optimal health."

The BET Foundation plans to add more events to its health events roster in 2007 specifically targeting African-American women and children. This important grassroots component includes the BET Foundation's multi-faceted one-day health symposiums and health forums. The Foundation will host these specially-tailored events at various locations, including U.S. schools, churches, and local city events throughout the year to aggressively address the myriad of minority-related health problems, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, depression and various cancers.

Also returning are the BET Foundation's signature components, the A Healthy BET Fitness Challenge and Summer Camp for Girls, both geared to motivate individuals to improve their nutrition and fitness routines. Celebrities and health advocates LL Cool J and Toccara will be featured in upcoming public service announcements (PSAs) slated to air on BET and BET J as part of the 2007 A Healthy BET Fitness Challenge.

"Last year we saw the tremendous response and growth of our core campaign elements like Summer Camp for Girls and the national A Healthy BET Fitness Challenge," stated Lynda Dorman, executive director of BET Foundation, Inc. "Instead of taking away from these successful elements, we wanted to expand on our existing strategy to create new campaign elements and activities that effectively educate the public, and also allow the Foundation to work directly with our target audience in utilizing the vital information and tools necessary to incorporate healthy lifestyle practices."

The BET Foundation will also launch new website, http://www.betfoundation.org/ and unveil the revamped A Healthy BET website, http://www.ahealthybet.com/ in 2007. The newly-designed websites will provide up-to-date health-related content, as well as informative articles, testimonials and information about various BET Foundation-related activities and events. Also, the Foundation will introduce the new "blood prick test," which effectively tests individuals for cardiovascular disease, as part of the many resources already available to attendees at various BET Foundation- sponsored health events.

ABOUT THE BET FOUNDATION

The BET Foundation is a non-profit organization created to raise public awareness to the numerous health-related challenges within African-American communities. Established in 2003, the Foundation takes a pioneering step in addressing one of the leading behavioral-attributed health concerns among African-American women and families, obesity-related health concerns. Through specifically-tailored initiatives and targeted campaigns, the BET Foundation aims to insure that African Americans live longer and healthier lives. The BET Foundation includes public service announcements (PSAs); targeted programming segments; seminars and health forums; health brochure materials; a dedicated toll-free hotline and website; and a nationwide Healthy BET Fitness Challenge contest to provide the tools and knowledge necessary for communities to develop long lasting healthy lifestyle habits. For more information, please visit http://www.ahealthybet.com/.

ABOUT GENERAL MILLS

General Mills, with annual net sales of $10.8 billion, is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of consumer food products. Its global brand portfolio includes Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Haagen-Dazs, Old El Paso and more. It also has more than 100 U.S. consumer brands, more than 30 of which generate annual retail sales in excess of $100 million. General Mills is also a leading supplier of baking and other food products to foodservice and commercial baking industries.

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Source: BET Foundation, Inc.

CONTACT: Lyntina Townsend of BET Networks, +1-202-608-2745,
lyntina.townsend@bet.net

Web site: http://www.bet.com/
http://www.ahealthybet.com/

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