Founded in 1994, Shape Up America! is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization committed to raising awareness of obesity as a health issue and to providing responsible information on healthy weight management.
Shape Up America! — Highlights of the First Ten Years (print-friendly)
1994
- Shape Up America! (SUA) was founded in December by former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop at a ceremony co-hosted by Dr. Koop and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton at the White House Rose Garden in Washington DC.
1995
- SUA published consumer booklet on weight management, On Your Way to Fitness
- Developed public service announcement (PSA) featuring Dr. Koop and an 800 number for consumers to call to obtain a copy of On Your Way to Fitness by mail.
- SUA launched “Know Your BMI” campaign and partnered with Kellogg Corporation to publish a Shape Up America! BMI chart on Kellogg’s Special K® cereal boxes.
1996
- Shape Up America! donated 5000 copies of On Your Way to Fitness for use in the highly successful Diabetes Prevention Program. [Results of this clinical trial documenting more than 50% reduction in conversion to diabetes among overweight persons were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2003.]
- Launched website, www.shapeup.org, expanding reach of Shape Up America! messages to millions of people annually.
- Published consumer booklets Fitting Fitness In, Even When You’re Pressed for Time and Eating Smart, Even When You’re Pressed for Time.
- SUA published Guidance for Treatment of Adult Obesity, the first comprehensive, evidence-based medical guide for treating adult obesity. Updated and re-published in print (1998) and CD-ROM format (2001).
1997
- SUA’s Guidance for Treatment of Adult Obesity distributed to every practicing family physician in America in 1997 and was recognized by the American Medical Association along with Healthy Weight, Healthy Living, a comprehensive weight management guide for consumers.
- Published family-oriented consumer booklet, 99 Tips for Family Fitness Fun, and also Cutting the Fat, Keeping the Flavor.
- Launched online CYBERKitchen [www.shapeup.org] to help users better understand calories and how to balance the food they eat with physical activity. Celebrated chef, Lisa Schroeder (“Mother’s” and “Mamma Mia” restaurants, Portland, OR), designed meals and recipes.
1998
- Launched online weight-management Support Center staffed by qualified experts with appropriate experience and credentials
- Updated and re-published Guidance for Treatment of Adult Obesity.
1999
- Launched online Fitness Center on Shape Up America! website, offering users a validated interactive fitness assessment plus personalized physical activity plan.
2000
- Launched Shape Up & Drop 10™, a web-based weight management program.
- Launched online Body Fat Lab designed to compare adult user’s body fat percent to a scientifically validated healthy body fat range.
- Trademarked the term Diabesity® which denotes the (still not understood) causal link between obesity and type 2 diabetes
2001
- Organized the first national Shape Up America! conference on Diabesity®. Highlights of conference published in Nutrition Today in fall of 2001.
- Launched online Professional Center on Shape Up America! website to help professional users assess obesity risks and treatment strategies.
2002
- Launched Shape Up America! online newsletter, available on an opt-in basis.
- SUA published online Parents Guide describing the assessment and treatment of overweight in children.
- Dr. Moore completed national lecture tour of U.S. medical schools delivering more than two dozen lectures on the assessment and treatment of obesity.
2003
- SUA co-sponsored the second national conference on Diabesity® with Rutgers University and the New Jersey Obesity Group (NJOG). Highlights of conference published in Nutrition Today in 2004.
- SUA sponsored the national conference, Prevention of Childhood Obesity: Pregnancy to Preschool. Proceedings published as a supplement to the journal Pediatrics in fall of 2004.
2004
- SUA launched online pediatric BMI Percentile assessment tool (available free at www.shapeup.org) that automates calculation and plotting of BMI Percentile for assessing overweight (and underweight) in children and youth ages 2-20
- In response to the growing popularity of dangerous low carb ketogenic diets, SUA founded the Partnership for Essential Nutrition, [www.essentialnutrition.org], a coalition of nonprofit public health oriented organizations, to promote public understanding about the essentials of a nutritionally balanced diet for healthy long term weight loss.
- SUA partnered with Ross Products and Kroger supermarkets to promote Step Up Your Nutrition targeting healthy eating, exercise and weight management to prevent diabetes
- SUA partnered with Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) to develop a PSA to communicate that eating a wholesome breakfast is consistent with and supportive of successful weight management
- After serving two years on the “Committee on Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth” of the Institute of Medicine, Dr. Moore assisted in the release of the Committee’s landmark report, Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance and rededicated the mission of Shape Up America! to support dissemination and implementation of the report.
2005
- Growing Point magazine, published by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., addressed the role of agriculture and featured the topic of obesity in the February 2005 issue, including a commentary authored by Dr. Moore and Dr. Koop on childhood obesity.
- In June, in response to confusing reports published by the CDC on overweight, obesity and mortality, Shape Up America! developed and published a full page ad that appeared in the Washington Times reminding the public that obesity is a health issue and that losing extra pounds is a step that promotes good health.
- Shape Up America! partnered with the Cumberland Packing Company, makers of Sweet 'N Low, on the development of a series of free “Family Fitness Tips” posters that will be printed and distributed via the Shape Up America! and Sweet 'N Low websites.
- Dr. Moore lecture series on Diabesity®, obesity treatment, and the prevention of childhood obesity.
- Subscribers to the Shape Up America! online monthly newsletter exceeded 20,000 by mid-year 2005