Shelley Phelan, professor of biology and program director of the health studies minor at Fairfield University, says obesity is one of the most significant health issues facing the nation today.
“It is a very complex problem involving biology, evolution, behavior, environment, societal influences, public policy and the current health care system,” she said. “It illustrates the truly interdisciplinary nature of the causes and consequences of various human health conditions.”
To address the problem, the school is holding an event this evening that will feature former executive director of the American Obesity Association, Morgan Downey.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is a chronic disease; more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese and approximately 17 percent of children ages 2 to 19 are obese.
Fairfield University has expanded its focus on human health with its the Integrated Health Studies Initiative, an interdisciplinary approach that combines a cutting-edge inter-school health studies curriculum at Fairfield University with new opportunities for applied learning, discovery and student engagement, and community outreach.
This evening, Downey will address what society does and does not understand about obesity with his talk, “Obesity at 30,000 feet,” in the university’s Kelley Center Presentation Room  at 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Downey took the position as executive director of the American Obesity Association in the late 1990s.
Downey organized the first conference on obesity as a public policy issue in 1999 and has testified before Congressional Committees.
