PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF OBESITY AND ITS CO-MORBIDITIES

1 The symposium will summarize the discussion of a conference organized by ACSM in February 1999 on the same topic. The conference was a consensus meeting whose purpose was to develop an evidence-based statement on the relationship between physical activity and obesity and its co-morbidities as well as to identify the most critical research questions to be addressed. Six topics that were dealt with during the conference have been retained for presentation and discussion during the symposium. The determinants of overweight and obesity will be reviewed by J. Hill, University of Colorado, the role of physical activity on energy and macronutrient intake will be discussed by J. Blundell, University of Leeds, U.K., while the contribution of physical activity to body fat distribution and visceral fat will be summarized by Robert Ross, Queen's University, Kingston, ON. Subsequently, M. Stefanick, Stanford University, will review the comorbidities of overweight and obesity, S. Blair will address the issue of the contributions of physical activity and obesity to morbidity and mortality rates, and G. Colditz, Harvard University, will complete the symposium presentation with a discussion on the economic costs of obesity and of a sedentary lifestyle.