"Mindless Eating" author to keynote North Dakota Obesity Summit Brian Wansink, executive director, USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, and author of “Mindless Eating,” will headline a one-day conference focused on overcoming obesity Tuesday, Sept. 9. “Obesity in North Dakota: Finding Solutions” will take place from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center, UND campus. The summit will organize leaders from across the state and across disciplines to address the obesity epidemic in North Dakota with a special focus in the areas of practice, education and research, and public policy. Health care professionals, researchers, educators, parents, policymakers, community members and anyone interested in reversing the rising obesity trend in North Dakota are welcome to attend. To register for the conference, please visit www.nursing.und.edu Obesity rates in the United States are soaring, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Between 1980 and 2000, obesity rates doubled among adults. About 60 million adults, or 30 percent of the adult population, are now obese. Similarly since 1980, overweight rates have doubled among children and tripled among adolescents – increasing the number of years they are exposed to the health risks of obesity. The primary behaviors causing the obesity epidemic are well known and preventable: physical inactivity and unhealthy diet. Despite this knowledge, most people still do not practice healthy behaviors that can prevent obesity, including eating the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables and getting enough physical activity to provide health benefits. Sponsors of this program include the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Executive Nurse Fellows Alumni Association, San Francisco, Calif.; Dakota Medical Foundation, Fargo, N.D.; USDA Human Nutrition Research Center, Grand Forks; University of North Dakota College of Nursing, Grand Forks; Grand Forks Public Health Department; and Meritcare Health Systems, Fargo, N.D. For more information, please contact: Loretta Heuer, UND College of Nursing at 777-4527; Debbie Swanson, Grand Forks Public Health Department, (701) 787-8113; or Jo Burdick, Meritcare Health Systems, Fargo, N.D., (701) 280-4092. -- Becky Cournia, Alumni & Development Officer, College of Nursing, beckycournia@mail.und.edu, 777-4526