About
An unprecedented collaboration of HBO and the U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM), in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), The Weight of the Nation spotlights the facts and myths of this public-health crisis, showing how obesity affects the health of the nation and cripples the health care system.
At its core, the four-part HBO documentary, made in partnership with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente and three years in the making, focuses on the causes of the U.S.’s obesity epidemic – and sheds light on solutions to restore our individual and collective health. An unflinching look at the severity of the crisis and its crippling effects, The Weight of the Nation is one of the most far-reaching public health campaigns on this epidemic to date.
To ensure widest possible distribution, the multi-part documentary will stream free of charge on www.hbomax.tv
Summaries of Four Main Parts
Consequences
Examines the scope of the obesity epidemic in the U.S. and explores the serious health consequences of being overweight and obese. Stories include: a unique long-term population study in Bogalusa, a small town in Louisiana, which linked early childhood weight problems with adult heart disease; the negative impact of excess weight on liver function; the risks and dangers of weight gain and diabetes; and the devastating societal costs of the U.S. obesity epidemic. (Approx. 68 minutes)
Choices
Provides viewers with the “skinny” on fat, sharing scientific insights into how to lose weight, maintain weight loss, and prevent weight gain. Stories include: weight-loss tips from a supervised program at Washington University; the history and myths of dieting; the benefits and drawbacks of bariatric surgery (in which stomach size is reduced); the importance of losing weight (even just a little) to prevent or reverse diabetes; and the extreme vigilance it takes to achieve and maintain a significant weight loss. (Approx. 72 minutes)
Children in Crisis
Lays out the damage obesity is doing to our nation’s children. We follow the families of four overweight kids – from Boston, San Francisco and Wisconsin – as they seek help and try to make positive lifestyle changes. The show also describes the strong forces that cause kids to consume too many calories and expend too little energy, with issues ranging from school lunch and the decline of physical education to whether it should be legal to market junk food to children. (Approx. 67 minutes)
Challenges
Explores the obesity epidemic from a diverse array of perspectives. As we learn, a myriad of cultural factors have contributed to the weight of the nation, including agribusiness, marketing, socioeconomics, automation and convenience, and the relentless drive for corporate profits. Virtually everything about our modern world plays to our natural, biological urges to eat more and move less, preventing us from making the best choices for our health. To turn the epidemic around, a multidimensional approach is needed by individuals and businesses alike, supported by legislation from the highest levels of government. (Approx. 65-70 minutes)