U.S. Surgeon General Launches New Effort to Address Childhood Obesity

U.S. Surgeon General Launches New Effort to Address Childhood Obesity

WASHINGTON, April 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, M.D., MPH, Acting Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), will launch a new phase of the Spot the Block campaign to address the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States via healthy dietary management.

The Surgeon General's office has teamed up with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Time Warner's Cartoon Network on Spot the Block-an educational outreach campaign to encourage tweens, ages 9 to 13, to use ("Spot") the Nutrition Facts Label (the "Block") when comparing foods. Spot the Block also helps parents help their tweens use the Nutrition Facts Label, and gives parents idea-starters for reinforcing the campaign's messages in the home and at other food-related opportunities. The Spot the Block program, along with the Surgeon General's "Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future" initiative, reflects DHHS' commitment to helping Americans live longer, better, healthier lives by reducing obesity, poor nutrition, and inactivity.

Date: April 29, 2008

Time: 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.

Location: National Press Club
529 14th Street N.W.
13th Floor
Peter Zenger Room
Washington, D.C. 20045

Who: Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, M.D., MPH
Acting Surgeon General
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Camille Brewer
Deputy Director of the Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling
and Dietary Supplements
U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Kimberly Rawlings
Public Affairs Specialist
U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Purpose: To address the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States
via healthy dietary management.

Source: FDA

CONTACT: Chris McKallagat of ICF International for the FDA,
+1-202-862-1586, cmckallagat@icfi.com

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