Several months back Javier Hernandez of Bike SGV was selected by Kaiser Permanente and HBO Documentary Films to participate in the filming of "The Weight of the Nation." Javier hauled both a camera-man and microphone operator on a custom-built wagon as they filmed the Baldwin Park Cycler Program in action. The program was created for the California Center for Public Health Advocacy specifically to support the Baldwin Park Complete Street policy. HBO was able to capture youth leaders advocating for safer streets while learning about city planning, traffic calming, bicycle safety, rules of the road, and basic mechanics. Unfortunately, in a sad letter from the HBO staff, we did not make the final cut.
THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION is a presentation of HBO and the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and in partnership with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente.
The centerpiece of THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION campaign is the four-part documentary series, each featuring case studies, interviews with our nation’s leading experts, and individuals and their families struggling with obesity. The first film, CONSEQUENCES, examines the scope of the obesity epidemic and explores the serious health consequences of being overweight or obese. The second, CHOICES, offers viewers the skinny on fat, revealing what science has shown about how to lose weight, maintain weight loss, and prevent weight gain. The third, CHILDREN IN CRISIS, documents the damage obesity is doing to our nation’s children. Through individual stories, this film describes how the strong forces at work in our society are causing children to consume too many calories and expend too little energy, tackling subjects from school lunches to the decline of physical education, the demise of school recess, and the marketing of unhealthy food to children. The fourth film, CHALLENGES, examines the major driving forces causing the obesity epidemic, including agriculture, economics, evolutionary biology, food marketing, racial and socioeconomic disparities, physical inactivity, American food culture, and the strong influence of the food and beverage industry.
Similar to that of a drive-in theater, Bike SGV will host ride-in screenings of the documentary at your local REI and parks all around the San Gabriel Valley. Dates, times, and more details to follow shortly. We are very excited about this opportunity to reduce the health disparities in our communities by simply raising awareness in a fun way, the Bike SGV way! :)
Stay tuned for more details.
