“The increase in America’s waistlines is shrinking our lifelines,” Thompson said as he unveiled a new ad campaign to promote the Small Steps program. The initiative and ads offer up suggestions like “choose fruit for dessert” and “do sit-ups in front of the TV” that HHS hopes will appeal to people searching for achievable weight loss goals.

“Consumers don’t need to go to extremes — such as joining a gym or taking part in the latest diet plan — to make improvements in their health,” Thompson said.

Thompson was joined at the “Small Steps” launch by CDC Director Julie Gerberding, M.D., M.P.H., U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., and NIH Director Elias Zerhouni, M.D. Zerhouni said NIH is committed to studying obesity as one of the “10 most wanted disease targets” and has asked for a 10 percent increase in funding for 2005 for its Task Force on Obesity Research.

Thompson said he would like to see health insurers give a break on their rates to those who lose weight or increase their exercise and added that he would support some kind of weight loss tax credit. When asked how the new HHS drive against obesity fit in with the department’s recent challenge to the World Health Organization’s recommendation to cut sugar intake (see HABIT, April 29, 2003), Thompson said again that the WHO report findings “were not corroborated by good science.”