2004 Summit Summary

An Action on Obesity Summit was held on May 21, 2004 to collect ideas for an optimal birth to end-of-life model to decrease the prevalence of obesity. Nearly 200 people attended the event, representing 50 entities including Mayo Clinic, government (Centers for Disease Control), academia, the food industry and businesses.

The summit challenged participants to bring specific, measurable ways to combat obesity. Many participants submitted written action items - abstracts of specific ways to promote healthful eating, increase exercise and other strategies to stop obesity.

Twenty participants presented action items during the summit. Another 21 abstracts were published in conference materials.

The summit included keynote addresses from Susan Blumenthal, M.D., the U.S. Assistant Surgeon General and Rear Admiral, on causes and prevention of obesity, and from Eric Finkelstein, Ph.D., a health economist at RTI International and Duke University, on the economic costs of the obesity epidemic. Sharonne Hayes, M.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and director of Mayo Clinic Women's Heart Clinic, and Mary Wellik, MPH, public health director for Olmsted County, Minn., presented a theoretical community model for prevention. During breakout sessions participants focused on different levels of the bidirectional model. They discussed and ranked ways to address obesity.

Those who attended continue to collaborate and share ideas via teleconferences and a Web site. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Mayo Clinic's medical journal, will publish two articles on the obesity epidemic, summit recommendations and results.