For Immediate Release: HOSPITAL TO LAUNCH ONLINE TEEN OBESITY PREVENTION PROGRAM Morristown, NJ, July 25, 2005 -- With childhood obesity at epidemic proportions in the US and the growing number of teens turning to the Internet for their health information, adolescent medicine specialists at Morristown Memorial Hospital are developing a web-based nutrition and fitness program for teens made possible in part by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation(RWJF). The three-year, $300,00 grant, awarded to the Morristown Memorial Health Foundation through RWJF's New Jersey Health Initiatives program, will be used to create Project TeenFit, a comprehensive online obesity prevention program for teens that will serve as an expansion of the hospital's award winning website, TeenHealthFX.com. The problem of overweight youth has been increasingly documented and publicized, and the search for effective solutions is underway. The creators of Project TeenFit use kids' preferred gathering place - the web - as a starting point for their effort to tackle the obesity issue. Project TeenFit will contain medically accurate, age appropriate and culturally diverse health information and will include such features as a body mass index (BMI) calculator, health recipes, tips on eating healthy and getting exercise, relevant quizzes, games and healthy lifestyle topics. A multi-disciplinary team of adolescent health specialists from Morristown Memorial Hospital will develop content and features attractive to teens. The goal is to go beyond educating and informing young people about these issues. The project aims to create behavioral change that will favorably affect health. The program will be offered to 1,200 seventh grade students in six Morris County middle schools over the next three years. In addition, school assemblies, parent and community lectures and teacher training programs will introduce participants to the most current fitness and nutrition information. The team plans to measure the effectiveness of Project TeenFit by evaluating the website's influence on changing the behaviors, attitudes and knowledge relevant to nutrition and fitness in participating teens. They will also measure changes in knowledge among parents and community leaders regarding nutrition and fitness and a change in the approach used by educators to teach teens about fitness and nutrition. A number of features distinguish Project TeenFit from other nutrition programs; it is based on the understanding that adolescents already make choices affecting their health and that most teens are comfortable using the Internet as a resource, making this medium an ideal tool. "Most importantly," says Walter Rosenfeld, MD, TeenFit project director and vice chairman for the Department of Pediatrics at Morristown Memorial Hospital's Goryeb Children's Hospital, "there are few existing nutrition and fitness websites for teens that have changing behavior as their primary goal." Nationally, obesity rates for American teens have doubled in the last three decades with the percentage of overweight adolescents increasing to 15.5 percent from five percent according to a 2004 Institute of Medicine Report. In New Jersey the Department of Health and Senior Services reports that 20 percent of the state's sixth-graders are obese and another 18 percent are overweight. Says Dr. Rosenfeld, "Overweight teens face health and social problems including poor self-esteem, diabetes, hypertension, musculoskeletal disorders and even heart disease among others. The problem of adolescent obesity is also a societal issue," he continues, pointing to the fact that the same Institute of Medicine report also put the cost for treating children with diseases associated with nutritional and physical problems at $127 million in 1999. If successful, the hospital looks to expand the reach of Project TeenFit to additional youth in New Jersey and across the US. About Morristown Memorial Part of the Atlantic Health System, www.atlantichealth.org , Morristown Memorial is a non-profit 628-licensed-bed hospital in Morristown, NJ. An affiliate of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School, Morristown Memorial's specialties include cardiology and cardiac surgery, adult and pediatric oncology, critical and emergency care and inpatient rehabilitation and neonatal intensive care services. Morristown Memorial is also a Level II Regional Trauma Center and a Level III Regional Perinatal Center. Home to the largest cardiac surgery center in the state, Morristown's other services include the Goryeb Children's Hospital, Carol G. Simon Cancer Center, and North Jersey Regional Arthritis Center. Morristown Memorial is designated as a Magnet Hospital for Excellence in Nursing Service, the highest level of recognition by American Nurses Credentialing Center available to facilities that provide excellent acute care services, and has also been ranked among the top 100 cardiovascular hospitals in the United States. The hospital is also designated a United Healthcare Premium Cardiac Specialty Hospital by United Healthcare, the largest health insurer in the US. Atlantic Health System also includes Overlook Hospital in Summit and Mountainside Hospital in Montclair. The hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). About The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. Helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need - the Foundation expects to make a difference in our lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.

Part of the Atlantic Health System, www.atlantichealth.org , Morristown Memorial is a non-profit 628-licensed-bed hospital in Morristown, New Jersey. A university affiliate of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School, Morristown Memorial’s specialties include cardiology and cardiac surgery, adult and pediatric oncology, critical and emergency care and inpatient rehabilitation and neonatal intensive care services. Morristown Memorial is also a Level II Regional Trauma Center, a Level III Regional Perinatal Center and a Regional Pediatric Center. Other services include the new Goryeb Children’s Center, Carol G. Simon Cancer Center, North Jersey Regional Arthritis Center, Sleep Disorder Center, Bariatric Surgery and obesity Program. The hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and is ranked among the top 100 cardiovascular hospitals in the nation by Solucient, Inc., and is designated as a Magnet Hospital for Excellence in Nursing Service - the highest level of recognition by American Nurses Credentialing Center available to facilities that provide excellent acute care services. Lynette King Davis Public Affairs Manager Morristown Memorial Hospital Atlantic Health System 973-971-4932 973-290-7010 (fax)

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