In July, the Lamar Soutter Library will join the Worcester County Prevention Research Center and WooFood in hosting a screening of the acclaimed four-part documentary series from The Weight of the Nation project, a campaign to raise awareness about the growing obesity epidemic in the United States and its causes, and to educate viewers on how to make healthy changes.
The centerpiece of The Weight of the Nation campaign is the four-part documentary series, each featuring case studies, interviews with the nation’s leading experts and individuals struggling with obesity and their families.
The first film, Consequences, examines the scope of the obesity epidemic and explores the serious health consequences of being overweight or obese.
The second, Choices, offers viewers the skinny on fat, revealing what science has shown about how to lose weight, maintain weight loss and prevent weight gain.
The third, Children in Crisis, documents the damage obesity is doing to our nation’s children. Through individual stories, this film describes how strong forces at work in our society are causing children to consume too many calories and expend too little energy; tackling subjects from school lunches to the decline of physical education, the demise of school recess and the marketing of unhealthy food to children.
The fourth film, Challenges, examines the major driving forces causing the obesity epidemic, including agriculture, economics, evolutionary biology, food marketing, racial and socioeconomic disparities, physical inactivity, American food culture, and the strong influence of the food and beverage industry.
Each of the screenings at UMass Medical School will be immediately followed by a discussion led by experts from UMMS, including faculty members from the Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine and one of the founders of WooFood.
The four part series and discussions will be held in Amphitheatre I, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (attendees are encouraged to bring their lunch) as follows:
- Tuesday, July 10: Part 1—Consequences, discussion led by Sherry Pagoto, PhD, and Mitch Lee of WooFood
- Thursday, July 19: Part 2—Choices, discussion led by Suzanne Cashman, ScD
- Wednesday, July 25: Part 3—Children in Crisis, discussion led by Milagros Rosal, PhD
- Tuesday, July 31: Part 4—Challenges, discussion led by Judith Ockene, PhD, MEd, MA
