| Summary: | The nation's growing recognition of the obesity crisis as a major public health concern for our children and youth has led to an array of diverse efforts aimed at increasing physical activity and promoting healthful eating. These efforts, however, generally remain fragmented and small-scale. Further, there is a lack of systematic tracking and evaluation of childhood obesity prevention interventions. When compared to the strong commitment and heavy infusion of governmental and private-sector resources devoted to other possible major public health concerns, such as infectious disease outbreaks or bioterrorism events, there is a marked underinvestment in the prevention of childhood obesity and related chronic diseases. Addressing the childhood obesity epidemic is a collective responsibility involving multiple stakeholders and different sectors -- including the federal government, state and local governments, communities, schools, industry, media, and families. This was a clear message from the 2005 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance. Following the release of the Health in the Balance report, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation asked the IOM to assess progress in childhood obesity prevention action across a variety of sectors and also to engage in a dissemination effort that would promote the implementation of the 2005 report's findings and recommendations through three regional symposia. The dual purpose of convening each symposium was to galvanize childhood obesity prevention efforts among local, state, and national decision makers, community and school leaders, health care providers, public health professionals, and grassroots community-based organizations, as well as to apprise the committee of the experiences and insights of the broad variety of partnerships and activities related to preventing childhood obesity throughout the nation.
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