Founded in 1994, Shape Up America! is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization committed to raising awareness of obesity as a health issue and to providing responsible information on healthy weight management.
A Letter from Dr. C. Everett Koop
Dear Friend —
As U.S. Surgeon General I served as the “nation’s doctor” well known for my years of work to combat smoking. More than a decade ago, I began to speak out on the dangers of obesity. In 1994 I founded Shape Up America! – a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of obesity as a serious health issue that is now claiming the lives of more than 100,000 Americans each year.
Once obesity is established, it is very difficult to reverse. Obese children are socially isolated, often ridiculed by their classmates and they suffer higher rates of depression and illness, especially diabetes. Families are the first line of defense against obesity. Parents and caregivers can prevent obesity in their children by establishing healthy lifestyles and creating a healthy environment in the home that will promote healthy eating and physical activity.
To prevent obesity in children, we know we need to provide children with wholesome foods at every meal, discourage TV viewing and other sedentary pastimes, and encourage physical activity, especially playing outdoors, on a daily basis.
Shape Up America! and the Sweet’N Low brand have teamed up to create the Family Fitness Fun poster series. Please use these posters to help your family make good choices each day. You can work with your family to change your home environment to prevent childhood obesity. Here’s how:
- Set daily and weekly goals for healthy eating and activity that your family will support and enjoy
- Schedule regular times for activity throughout the week
- Keep a log of your family activities and record them each day
- Take time to recognize and reward positive changes in behavior in every member of the family
For more ideas about Family Fitness Fun and other tools for achieving a healthy lifestyle, visit www.shapeup.org/fittips or www.sweetnlow.com/fittips.
Sincerely,
C. Everett Koop, M.D., Sc.D.
Founder, Shape Up America!