DETROIT-Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Childhood obesity has long-term health implications including cardiovascular disease, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea and more.

Wayne State University's Department of Nutrition and Food Science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is hosting a talk, Childhood Obesity: Threats and Opportunities, from 11 a.m. to noon on Friday, Sept. 17, 2010 at WSU's David Adamany Undergraduate Library, 5155 Gullen Mall. The event is free and open to the public, and registration is not required.

The guest speaker is William H. Dietz, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity at the CDC. Prior to his appointment at the CDC, Dr. Dietz was professor of pediatrics at Tufts University's School of Medicine, and director of clinical nutrition at the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center.

For more information about this event, please call (313) 577-2500.

Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit http://www.research.wayne.edu.