A Bold Vision
Obesity:
Solving the
Epidemic by
It's time to see obesity for what it really is.
01.
It's a disease.
Obesity was initially recognized as a chronic disease in the late 1980s, but it wasn’t until 2013 that it was officially designated as such by the American Medical Association.
02.
It's an epidemic.
Today, more than 40 percent of the U.S. population has obesity: the highest rate on record. This is the dangerously unhealthy, unsustainable state of America.
03.
It's deadly.
According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 300,000 Americans die of obesity-related causes every year, from cardiovascular disease to Type 2 diabetes to 13 different types of cancer.
04.
It's misunderstood.
Obesity is often viewed as a choice and/or a character flaw. But science confirms that obesity is not simply a mentality. It is not an elected lifestyle. It’s not just about lack of self-control. In fact, there’s much more to obesity than simply what people are eating.
We have an opportunity—an obligation, really—to not only raise awareness but to shift public perception of obesity as a disease. It’s time to dispel the many myths that have long persisted, and arm individuals and communities with evidence-based research and the resources necessary to lead healthy lives.
A Groundbreaking campaign
Welcome to Obecity, USA
“Obecity, USA” is a public health advocacy campaign developed to address the nation’s growing obesity epidemic head-on. The campaign takes a visionary approach to not only raise awareness, but shift public perception, of obesity as a disease—dispelling the many myths that have long persisted, and arming individuals and communities with evidence-based research and the resources necessary to lead healthy lives. Go to VisitObecity.org to learn more about the effort and Pennington Biomedical’s goal of solving the obesity epidemic by 2040.
The solution begins
with research
Pennington Biomedical Research Center is a world leader in the fight against obesity and related chronic diseases. Since its founding in 1988, Pennington Biomedical has been conducting basic, clinical, and population research on obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and dementia. The work of the Center is supported and promoted by Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
