ACFN: CHANGES TO DIETARY GUIDELINES WILL BE FUTILE IN CURBING OBESITY WITHOUT IMPROVED NUTRITIONAL EDUCATION AND INCREASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Washington, D.C., September 30, 2003 - Dr. Susan Finn, Chair of the American Council for Fitness and Nutrition and a past president of the American Dietetic Association, offered the following remarks in response to today’s Senate Commerce Subcommittee hearing, “Obesity War: Are Our Dietary Guidelines Losing?”

“The Food Guide Pyramid and the Dietary Guidelines are important tools consumers need to make sensible nutrition decisions, but they are only part of the solution. If we don’t improve consumer understanding and succeed in getting more Americans to engage in regular physical activity, then any well-intentioned changes to these nutrition guides will be for naught.

“The critical challenge we face is not addressing faults in the guidelines, but in addressing the fact that less than 16 percent of Americans follow them. The role of the Guidelines and the Food Pyramid is to help consumers understand how the foods they eat should work as part of a balanced, healthy lifestyle that properly matches caloric intake with physical activity.

“We will not reverse our nation’s obesity trend unless we take meaningful steps to improve nutrition education and to motivate Americans to engage in regular physical activity. That’s why Congress needs to include as part of a comprehensive and effective solution legislation such as the Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act, which would provide much-needed funding to communities for improving nutrition education and promoting physical activity.”

CONTACT
Laura Sheehan
202.715.1526
laura@acfn.org

Christine Tucci
202.715.1517
christine@acfn.org

ABOUT THE AMERICAN COUNCIL FOR FITNESS AND NUTRITION: The American Council for Fitness and Nutrition (ACFN) is a non-profit organization that brings together food and beverage companies, associations, and health and nutrition advocates to work toward viable long-term solutions to the nation's obesity epidemic. ACFN represents a diverse group of organizations and is guided by an advisory board of experts in the fields of nutrition, physical activity and behavior change. ACFN works with partners to raise awareness of programs and policies that seek to improve health and wellness in America. For more information, please visit www.acfn.org.