Engaging states and communities in supporting opportunities to address obesity: A view from CDC and partners

Obesity continues to be a major epidemic in the United States affecting 1 in 3 of adults and 1 in 6 children aged 2-19 years old. Obese children are at risk for acute health conditions and are more likely to become obese adults with an increased risk for chronic diseases and premature death. The health care costs associated with adult obesity are about $150 billion. The purpose of this panel is to highlight initiatives supported by CDC and its partners in addressing obesity prevention through programs, practices and applied research at the national, state and community levels. Examples of multi-level and multi-component approaches focusing on creating healthy eating and physical activity opportunities for all Americans and the leveraging of partnerships will illustrate key components for successful implementation of population-based obesity prevention strategies. CDC's collaborations with partner organizations provide a unique opportunity to deploy an evidence-informed and more coordinated national approach. Practice-based evidence and evaluations of transferable approaches of state-level and state-wide obesity strategies will be described with an intentional focus on sharing lessons learned and research findings to improve healthy habits and health equity.