News Release

Acting U.S. Surgeon General Promotes “Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future” in Wilmington

Acting U.S. Surgeon General Rear Admiral Steven K.Galson, M.D., M.P.H., will make a sixth stop on his nationwide tour to promote the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Childhood Overweight and Obesity Prevention Initiative, which targets overweight and obesity prevention and the promotion of healthy lifestyles for children, on the afternoon of April 2, 2008 in Wilmington, Del.

The “Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future” initiative focuses on recognizing and showcasing those communities throughout the nation that are addressing childhood overweight and obesity prevention by helping kids stay active, encouraging healthy eating habits, and promoting healthy choices.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to visit communities across the country, like Wilmington, and meet first-hand with those actively engaged in finding ways to prevent childhood overweight and obesity,” said Dr. Galson.

In Wilmington, Dr. Galson will meet with key community stakeholders including representatives from business, industry, academia and other local leaders to discuss childhood obesity prevention and learn about existing prevention programs. Specifically he will hear from individuals from the Nemours, one of the nation’s largest health systems dedicated to the health of children and present an award to “The Campaign to Make Delaware’s Kids the Healthiest in the Nation”. Later that day, Dr. Galson will tour the Latin American Community Center in Wilmington which provides comprehensive services to participating Latino families in the Delaware community. As part of this visit he will learn about the integration of health initiatives with early childhood education.

According to 2005 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 percent of high school students in Delaware were overweight, with an additional 15 percent at risk for becoming overweight. The 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey also indicated that 84 percent of the students ate less fruits and vegetables less than 5 times per day in a 7 day period.

Additional information on the Surgeon General’s Initiative can be found at http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/obesityprevention.html

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last revised: December 30, 2008