Video: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Joins Ad Council, NBA, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to Tip off National Obesity Prevention Contest on YouTube(R)

Video: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Joins Ad Council, NBA, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to Tip off National Obesity Prevention Contest on YouTube(R)

NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas encourages Americans to submit videos showing their peers the importance of taking 'small steps' to get healthy

NEW YORK, Sept. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) joined today with The Advertising Council, the National Basketball Association (NBA), and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) to tip off a national user-generated video contest on behalf of HHS' and the Ad Council's Small Steps Obesity Prevention public service advertising campaign. Hosted on YouTube, the contest aims to encourage teens and young adults ages 14-24 to submit original videos demonstrating the power of taking small steps to get healthy.

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/adcouncil/34657/

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt and NBA All-Star and Washington Wizards' point guard Gilbert Arenas will announce the winner in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America in Washington, D.C., at the end of October.

"Small changes to your eating and exercise routines can result in big successes. The message is simple but compelling," Secretary Leavitt said. "This contest provides an opportunity for young adults to inspire others to make small steps toward a healthier life."

Over the next four weeks, young Americans will be encouraged to create and submit videos illustrating the benefits of taking small steps to get healthy, including physical activity and good eating habits. Submissions will be accepted until Oct. 7, after which contestants are encouraged to share their video entries with their peers. The 10 videos that receive the most views on YouTube between Oct. 8 and Oct. 28 will be judged by a panel comprised of advertising professionals, health officials, BGCA representatives and the NBA's Arenas. The panel will choose the grand prize winner.

One Grand Prize winner will receive $2,500 in cash and prizes to NBAStore.com. Four runners-up will receive $500 toward NBA merchandise and athletic gear.

According to HHS' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese. The percentage of young people who are overweight has more than tripled since 1980, with more than 10 million school-age children currently considered overweight.

"This contest is a wonderful opportunity to engage teens and young adults throughout the country in the important messages communicated in our campaign," said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council. "We are grateful to the NBA for donating the prizes and using their valuable inventory to promote the contest among their fans, an ideal demographic for our messages."

The Ad Council, HHS, NBA and BGCA will promote the contest in their newsletters, on their websites and through their marketing channels. The NBA will encourage participation in the contest through on-air announcements during NBA games on TNT and TBS, as well as in-store and online promotions as part of its NBA FIT initiative, a league-wide, comprehensive health and wellness platform that encourages proper eating habits and promotes exercise to children and young adults. As a member of the NBA FIT team, Arenas will serve as one of the contest's featured spokespersons and encourage kids to get involved.

"As an athlete, I know how important both exercise and nutrition are to my everyday performance," said Arenas. "This contest is a great way to get young people across the country to show that they are up to the challenge of telling us just how important regular exercise and maintaining a healthy diet are to them and how creative they can be in fitting it into their daily lives."

Boys & Girls Clubs of America will enlist its local Clubs throughout the country to drive interest in the Small Steps Video Contest and support video submissions from children in the communities they serve. The Ad Council has also developed a promotional video, as well as a series of Web banners, which will run in donated space on websites frequented by the target audience. Additionally, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) will promote the contest among its chapters in high schools throughout the country and an integrated social media program will encourage submissions on popular social networking sites and blogs.

"Obesity has become a major public health concern in the United States, and we agree that by teaching young people the importance of making small steps in developing healthy and active lifestyles, we can start to move the needle and help curb this epidemic," said Romero Brown, vice president of Programs & Youth Development Services for BGCA. "As the largest youth serving organization, Boys & Girls Clubs of America is proud to participate in this Small Steps initiative."

Participants will register through a mini-site featured on the campaign's website, www.smallstep.gov. Videos can be created using video phones, digital cameras with video abilities, video cameras or any other video recording device. Judging will be based on creativity, entertainment value, and appropriateness to theme. All submitted videos will be hosted on You Tube. Winning videos will be featured on www.smallstep.gov for a minimum of two months after the competition, and may have their small steps added to HHS' list of small steps at http://www.smallstep.gov/take_small_steps_today.html.

The "Small Steps" Obesity Prevention Campaign first launched in March 2004. The Ad Council also developed the Coalition for Healthy Children to help address the obesity crisis by providing consistent, research-based messages to children and parents on the importance of practicing a healthier lifestyle. The NBA and Boys & Girls Clubs of America are members of the coalition, which harnesses the combined strengths of marketers, media companies, non-profit groups and government agencies. For more information about the coalition, visit www.HealthyChildrenCoalition.org.

NBA FIT

In February 2007, the NBA launched the NBA FIT Program (www.nba.com/nba_cares/smallsteps_contest.html), a league-wide, comprehensive health and wellness platform that encourages proper eating habits and promotes exercise to children and young adults. For this initiative, NBA Cares has partnered with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, collaboration between the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association, to engage in outreach and program activities that will reverse the trend of childhood obesity in America.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America

For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org) has been changing and saving young lives, providing hope and opportunity for kids who need them most. Today, some 4,300 Clubs serve some 4.8 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Known as The Positive Place for Kids, Boys & Girls Clubs can be found all across the country and on U.S. military bases throughout the world. Clubs provide young people 6-18 years old with guidance-oriented character development programs conducted by trained, professional staff. In communities large and small, Clubs positively impact lives and help young people reach their full potential as productive, caring citizens. Key Boys & Girls Club programs emphasize leadership development; education and career exploration; community service; financial literacy; health and life skills; the arts; sports, fitness and recreation; and family outreach. In a recent Harris Survey of Club alumni, 57 percent said the Club saved their life. National headquarters are located in Atlanta.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (www.hhs.gov) is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. The department includes more than 300 programs, covering a wide spectrum of activities, including health and social science research, preventing disease, including immunization services, assuring food and drug safety, and administering Medicare and Medicaid.

The Advertising Council

The Ad Council (www.adcouncil.org) is a private non-profit organization that marshals talent from the advertising and communications industries, the facilities of the media, and the resources of the business and non-profit communities to produce, distribute and promote public service campaigns on behalf of non-profit organizations and government agencies in issue areas such as improving the quality of life for children, preventive health, education, community well-being, environmental preservation and strengthening families.

Video: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/adcouncil/34657
Source: The Ad Council

CONTACT: Ellyn Fisher of The Ad Council, +1-212-984-1964,
efisher@adcouncil.org; or Jon Hammond, NBA, +1-212-407-8671, jhammond@nba.com;
or HHS Press Office, +1-202-690-6343

Web site: http://www.adcouncil.org/
http://www.smallstep.gov/
http://www.hhs.gov/
http://www.bgca.org/
http://www.healthychildrencoalition.org/
http://www.nba.com/nba_cares/smallsteps_contest.html

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