Fighting obesity through education

Obesity has risen dramatically across the United States in the last 30 years, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of the U.S. population is obese, including 17% of children and adolescents.


But one supermarket-pharmacy chain is doing its part to address the problem, especially among the young. Since early last year, Giant-Carlisle has been sponsoring a series of childhood obesity forums around the markets it serves in Pennsylvania and Virginia to discuss the problem and how to combat it.


The first happened in Willow Grove, Pa., and brought together physicians from the community and Philadelphia, the in-store nutritionist from the local Giant store, and officials from local nonprofits and the school district. Similar events followed in Harrisburg, Pa., and at a Martin’s Food Markets store in Richmond, Va.