Healthy Weight Week
January 16-22, 2005

Purpose
Definition
Numbers affected
Influence on life
Steps to take

What is the purpose of Healthy Weight Week?

Healthy Weight Week is an annual, national observance that focuses attention on the importance of staying at a healthy weight. This is especially important at a time when more Americans than ever are overweight. According to the U.S. Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity, released in 2001, approximately 300,000 adult deaths in the United States each year can be attributed to unhealthy dietary habits and physical inactivity or sedentary behavior.
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What is a healthy weight?

A healthy weight is different for everyone. A person's weight is based on factors such as genes, food intake, and level of physical activity. Therefore, it is impossible to have one ideal weight that suits everybody. Healthy weight is not just about weight loss. It includes lifestyle, eating habits, and good nutrition, combined with physical activity. Eating in a healthy way provides the human body with the nutrients it needs to function, so what a person eats directly affects the body's well-being and a person's quality of life. According to the Healthy Weight Network, "normal eating" implies eating three meals and one or two snacks a day, and eating at regular times. It also means choosing a variety of foods and eating in moderation.
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How many people are at a healthy weight?

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, just 33.5 percent of American adults are at a healthy weight, and the percentage is falling. Between 1960 and 2000, the prevalence (total number of existing cases) of overweight increased from 31.5 to 33.6 percent in American adults between the ages of 20 and 74. During this same time period, the prevalence of obesity more than doubled from 13.3 to 30.9 percent, with most of this increase occurring in the past 20 years.
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How does healthy weight influence a person's life?

Being at a healthy weight and eating healthy can enhance feelings of well-being and provide the needed energy to lead a fulfilling life. Maintaining a healthy weight is an important part of self-esteem, because your weight affects your body image, emotions, moods, and physical sensations. A healthy weight can help to reduce your risk for physical and mental illnesses.
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What can be done to reach and stay at a healthy weight?

Efforts to get Americans to maintain a healthy weight begin with our Nation's children. Parents have an important role to play, because they are typically the primary source of information. More importantly, they are the primary role models when it comes to molding children's eating habits. Children learn from their parents what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat. For children and adults alike, it is important to get in touch with body signals that tell you when you are hungry, full, or have overeaten. Adults who wish to change their behaviors, attitudes, and lifestyle patterns in order to reach a healthy weight should begin by getting reliable information on nutrition and physical fitness. The web site HealthierUS.gov, part of the President’s Healthier US initiative, can provide such information. Launched in June 2001 by President Bush, HealthierUS is a national campaign to help Americans live longer, healthier lives. It focuses on four core areas for improved health and wellness: physical activity, preventive screenings, balanced nutrition, and healthy choices. Local communities also offer support and help to promote understanding of the importance of healthy weight to a good quality of life. The HealthierUS initiative is expanding the capability of local communities by providing grants for community-based chronic disease prevention and control programs to prevent asthma, diabetes, and obesity.
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