Pennington Biomedical Research Center Convenes 4th Annual Childhood Obesity & Public Health Conference: 475 Public Health Professionals, Educators, Business Leaders to Focus on 2020 Public Health Goals for Obesity and Health in Louisiana's Children

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Released: Tuesday, September 13, 2011

More than 475 professionals engaged in public health challenges facing children and youth will convene on the campus of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center on Wednesday, September 14, for the 4th annual childhood obesity and public health conference. The conference is entitled: "Reducing Childhood Obesity In Louisiana: Charting the Course for 2020."

Childhood obesity is fast becoming the greatest public health challenge facing America. Indeed, the First Lady, Michelle Obama recently began an aggressive national campaign to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation. At the national level, Healthy People 2020 provides a set of objectives for improving health and eliminating health disparities. This public health conference will bring together local, national and international experts on the topic of developing public health goals for improving the health of children in the State of Louisiana, with a special emphasis on physical activity, nutrition and obesity-related behaviors. Feedback on a draft of the 2011 Louisiana Report Card on Physical Activity and Health for Children and Youth will be solicited from conference attendees, which will be incorporated into the final version of the report card, to be released subsequent to the conference. Pennington Biomedical's Dr. Peter Katzmarzyk will gather input from conference attendees at the 2:15 session of the conference.

The conference is not open to the public. However, a draft of the 2011 Louisiana Report Card on Physical Activity and Health for Children and Youth will be available on Pennington Biomedical's website at www.pbrc.edu for public comment. Comments can be received through October 1, 2011. The 2011 Report Card will be released in mid-November.

Media representatives are invited to attend the conference.

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The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is at the forefront of medical discovery as it relates to understanding the triggers of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia. It is a campus of Louisiana State University and conducts basic, clinical and population research. The research enterprise at Pennington Biomedical includes approximately 80 faculty and more than 25 post-doctoral fellows who comprise a network of 44 laboratories supported by lab technicians, nurses, dietitians, and support personnel, and 13 highly specialized core service facilities. Pennington Biomedical's more than 500 employees perform research activities in state-of-the-art facilities on the 222-acre campus located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.