American Heart Association Praises IOM's National Approach to Obesity Epidemic

American Heart Association

CEO Nancy Brown issued the following statement today on the Institute

of Medicine's new report, "Accelerating Progress in Obesity

Prevention":

"Once again, we commend the Institute of Medicine (IOM) for keeping the

obesity epidemic front and center in our national dialogue on health.

As this report makes clear, the prevention of obesity requires more

than individual efforts to eat right and exercise. It requires a

concerted effort by all Americans at every level of society.

The five concrete goals outlined in this report are: making physical

activity routine; creating food and beverage environments where healthy

choices are easy; transforming messages about exercise and nutrition;

expanding the role of health care professionals; and ensuring schools

are the central focus of obesity prevention. All five must be pursued

fervently if we as a nation are to triumph over obesity. Many

strategies are already being deployed by the American Heart Association

and our public health partners at the individual, community, state,

local and federal levels.

Our organization has long been committed to raising the public's

awareness about the powerful link between obesity and cardiovascular

disease. To help combat this epidemic, the association works to educate

the public on the benefits of a healthy diet and an active lifestyle.

American Heart Association initiatives, such as My Heart. My Life.,

give Americans in communities nationwide solutions on their journey to

better health -- including hundreds of walking clubs, thousands of

walking paths, and Teaching Gardens in more than one 120 elementary

schools that inspire kids to eat more fruits and vegetables at

formative ages.

At the state and local levels we work to build healthy communities that

guarantee opportunities for physical activity and access to healthy

food where Americans live, work, play, and learn. This includes

ensuring that every child gets daily physical education and recess in

schools, as well as nutritious meals and snacks. We also work to make

certain that neighborhoods have grocery stores and that the default

food choice is the healthy choice at any corner store.

Similarly, at the federal level the association works to promote

physical activity in schools, and advance better food marketing

guidelines, as well as food and menu labeling. We support nutrition

programs in the Farm Bill reauthorization, work to secure funding for

programs like Safe Routes to Schools that create more active

environments, and we provide guidance to employers on the use of

financial incentives in workplace wellness programs. We strongly

support federal funding for prevention initiatives at the state and

local levels, and new preventive benefits made available through the

Affordable Care Act.

Until we stamp out obesity, we will never be free of heart disease and

stroke. The American Heart Association believes that it is absolutely

essential that we align our forces and bridge our differences if we are

to effectively address this daunting challenge to our nation's health.

The IOM report helps set us on the path to conquering this frightening

epidemic."