KU News Release

Surgeon general to speak at KU obesity conference

LAWRENCE — Rear Adm. Steven K. Galson, acting surgeon general of the United States, will speak at the University of Kansas’ 10th annual Conference on the Prevention and Treatment of Overweight and Obese Individuals on Friday, Sept. 5.

Galson will present the government’s initiatives to reduce childhood obesity at the community level, echoing the theme of the three-day conference that runs from Thursday, Sept. 4, to Saturday, Sept. 6. The conference is targeted at health professionals, public health specialists, dietitians, youth and community program leaders, exercise science and fitness professionals and parents.

The conference, which draws between 350 and 400 participants from Kansas and surrounding states, is organized by Joseph E. Donnelly, director of KU’s Center for Physical Activity and Weight Management and the new KU-Children’s Mercy Hospital collaborative research and clinical Center for Physical Activity, Nutrition and Weight Management. Donnelly is a nationally recognized researcher in weight loss and maintenance.

James Hill, professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and director of America on the Move, will discuss the importance of physical activity to close the energy gap responsible for gradual weight gain.

“Our goal with this conference is to give evidence-based strategies for the prevention and treatment of the obesity epidemic to medical practitioners, educators, agency representatives, parents and others who have contact with and can influence at-risk children and adults,” said Donnelly.

Other presentations of note include intervention strategies for overweight Hispanic youth, programs for enhancing physical activity in older adults, the effects of calcium and dairy products on weight management, what brain imaging reveals about dieting and the results of a large study of whether more physical activity is better.

The conference will be held at the Marriott Downtown in Kansas City, Mo., and registration is still open to the public. For more information or to register go to the Energy Balance Laboratory Web site.

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The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.