Obesity is common, serious, and costly. More than one-third of adults (35.7%) and approximately 17% of children and adolescents are obese.

To confront this epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is collaborating “with public health researchers and practitioners, partners, state and community leaders to raise awareness, share evidence-based strategies.”  Since visual messages are among the most powerful in today’s society, the CDC has developed a series of four videos that document the consequences, costs, and challenges for confronting obesity as part of their “Weight of the Nation” campaign:

• Part 1: Consequences
• Part 2: Choices
• Part 3: Children in Crisis
• Part 4: Challenges

The videos are just over one hour in length, and premiered May 14-15 on HBO. Below is the first video to get our readers started.

How has obesity adversely affected your life, or the lives of those you care about? If you have overcome obesity, how did you do it? Tell us!