WASHINGTON, DC — The government is getting involved in fitness in a way it's never been before. The Health and Human Services Department (HHS) will develop comprehensive guidelines, drawn from science, to help Americans fit physical activity into their lives, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced in October during his keynote address at the National Prevention Summit, an annual HHS-supported event that highlights successful initiatives in disease prevention and health promotion.
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans will be issued in late 2008 and will summarize the latest knowledge about activity and health. The president's proposed fiscal year 2007 budget for the federal health department calls for $640 million on obesity-related efforts.