According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), obesity in the United States has risen at an epidemic rate during the past 20 years.

In fact, 60 percent of Lancaster County adults are overweight, according to information from the 2003 Measure Up Lancaster report. One of the national health objectives outlined in HealthyPeople 2010 is to reduce the prevalence of obesity among adults to less than 15 percent by 2010.

"Overweight" is defined by the National Institutes of Health as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 or greater. Obesity is indicated by a BMI of 30 or greater. While BMI is a useful screening tool, it is not a definite measure of overweight and obesity.

Statistics on overweight children are also alarming. During the past 20 years the number of obese children in the United States has doubled to one in five. In Pennsylvania, more than 17 percent of youth ages 10-12 are overweight, three points above the national average of 14 percent.

In response to the alarming trend of overweight adults and youth, Lancaster General researched dozens of weight loss programs to identify those that could help make a positive effect on our community and offers healthy weight management programs for children and adults.