Airing May 14 and 15 on HBO, The Weight of the Nation includes a four-part documentary series featuring case studies and interviews with leading experts, individuals and their families struggling with obesity. Three years in the making, the project has been dubbed one of the most far-reaching public health campaigns on the obesity epidemic to date, also comprising a three-part series for families, 12 bonus shorts, a website and social media campaign, a book published by St. Martin’s Press, and nationwide outreach to more than 40,000 community-based organizations.
From the project's site:
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 the 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
Given the prevalence of obesity among African Americans, particularly among black women, I'm interested to see how racial dynamics are dealt with in the final part of the series.
The Weight of the Nation is presented in partnership with the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente.
For those that don't have HBO, the films will be made available online after the national broadcast.
Find the trailer below:
