Release No. 0338.04

Contact: Ed Loyd (202) 720-4623 
Katie Boots (202) 690-0826 

USDA Conference To Pinpoint Research Needed To Combat Obesity 

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2004 –- The U.S. Department of Agriculture will host a National Obesity Prevention Conference Oct. 25-27 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bethesda, Md., to identify research and actions needed to help prevent obesity. 

"USDA has a special role to play in preventing obesity in America, because we are the federal department with responsibilities for the production and safety of food, nutrition research and nutrition assistance," said Veneman. "This conference will provide an opportunity to review current research we have to date and set the course for future research that will guide us in preventing further increases in the prevalence and severity of this important public health concern." 

The conference is being coordinated by Agriculture Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics Joseph Jen and Agriculture Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Eric M. Bost in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Service; the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion; the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service; the Economic Research Service, and the Food and Nutrition Service. Also participating are the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Science Foundation. The conference is open to the public. The conference agenda and registration information are available online at http://www.usda.gov/Newsroom/indexNOPC.html .

The conference will feature three plenary working sessions. The first working session will focus on diet, nutrition and energy balance, and will discuss current human nutrition research activities, as well as ways the food processing industry can help prevent obesity. The second session, "Behavioral and Economic Science," will explore research aimed at understanding what people eat and why, along with social and economic forces that influence food choices. The third session, "Education, Integrated Programs and Outreach," will highlight interventions and activities to help improve Americans' food choices. 

USDA will unveil a new 15-minute video, "Overcoming Our Nation's Obesity Crisis: Developing Effective Solutions," at the conference. At the end of the conference, a small group of participants will meet to develop a summary of the conference presentations and develop recommendations for new research and action agendas. 

Speakers have been invited from universities, the food industry, and numerous medical and nutrition research facilities, including New York's Obesity Research Center, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Pennington Nutrition Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. 

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