Battling the bulge: Philadelphia trims the fat

One city's mayor tries what doctors across the nation have struggled with -- getting folks to eat healthy, boost activity and weigh less.

By Victoria Stagg Elliott, AMNews staff. Aug. 27, 2001.

When Men's Fitness magazine put Philadelphia on the top of its annual list of America's fattest cities two years ago, Mayor John Street decided to make some changes. The formerly overweight public official who is now an avid cyclist and jogger hired a health and fitness czar to shape up his city.

As part of his "Fun, Fit and Free" initiative, the mayor encouraged restaurants to offer healthier entrees and tried to provide more opportunities for exercise. A Web site was launched. Support groups were formed. Mass public weigh-ins were held. The mayor himself led public walks around the city.

The initiative also launched "76 Tons of Fun," a 10-week program sponsored in part by the local professional basketball team, to help the population lose a total of 76 tons. Some 20,000 people have registered.

"The city sure needed it," said Robert Berkowitz, MD, medical director of the Weight and Eating Disorder Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia.

City officials refuse to comment on whether the city achieved its goal, but Men's Fitness has moved the city down the fat list to third. Nothing has yet been published in the scientific literature about the effectiveness of Street's efforts, but experts say the move is part of a growing attempt to treat obesity not just as a personal health problem but one of the community at large.

"The medical establishment can't possibly handle this problem on its own," said Shiriki K. Kumanyika, PhD, MPH, associate dean for health promotion and disease prevention with the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, who chaired the evaluation committee of the initiative. [...]