PACO to stop child obesity in the continent

Article - August 23, 2012

Health summit will raise awareness and prompt action to combat obesity “epidemic”

A third Pan-American Conference on Obesity, with Special Attention to Childhood Obesity, is to be held in Aruba this June.

PACO III, 2013 will follow the highly successful first two conferences held on the island in 2011 and 2012, and, as before, has the backing of the WHO and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). At the first annual event, representatives from 22 nations of the Americas signed a declaration calling for action on obesity, and childhood obesity in particular. Among those representatives were W. Coutinho (President of IASO, Brazil), H. Blanck (Branch Chief, U.S. Obesity Prevention and Control Branch, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) and S. Pfohl (Executive Director, President’s Council on Fitness, Sport & Nutrition, White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, U.S.).

Dr. Richard Visser says what is needed is a change in the environment around vulnerable individuals and groups, especially in the Americas where he describes the prevalence of obesity as “an epidemic”. In Aruba this has led to a focus on education initiatives and promotion of a healthier lifestyle.

The three-day conference aims to propose a specific platform for the prevention of obesity nationally and internationally to facilitate implementation of interventional actions and research.