Athens, Ga–Georgia has one of the highest obesity rates in the Nation. Uga is taking multiple steps to fix this problem across campus and the Athens community.

Hannah Patrick has details about the program that help 75 people lose over three hundred pounds.  Stacy Connell started a biggest loser program at Ramsey 3 years ago to encourage students and faculty to change their bad habits.

Last year the group of 75 participants lost one hundred and thirty percent of there body weight. 
Stacy  says, “Our goal actually is that they wouldn’t want to come back every year that they would learn the skills to live a healthy life style and go and do those on their own and that we’re here to really equip and educate them.”

 The 10 week program includes, cooking classes, fitness classes, and work outs. The program also includes teams and events to keep the participants motivated. 

One of the participants said, “Even Anybody in the United States just following the simple healthy lifestyle where you work and play and have fun and if you eat right and work hard, anybody can be fit.”

Professors here at the college of Family and Consumer Sciences have been doing research on obesity among the senior population, adolescents, and adults.

They work with Uga’s college of education to provide fun activities in the local schools. Colleauges have even partnered with local businesses like Home Depot to start initiatives amongst the work place.

Professor Clifton Baile heads the Uga Obesity Inititiative that provides research, funding, and programs to help with the obesity problem in the Athens area. 

He says,”I think awareness is definitely much higher. Awareness helps people to think about the risks they’re taking if they are overweight.”
 Obesity is becoming a growing problem all across the nation. Programs like these are the first start to fighting the increasing numbers.