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McDonald's(R) Partners With the American Academy of Family Physicians and Their Americans in Motion Program

Posted on: Friday, 30 September 2005, 15:02 CDT

McDonald's Corporation is providing financial support and educational tools to be used by the American Academy of Family Physicians' (AAFP) as they continue the implementation of their fitness initiative Americans in Motion (AIM), which is designed to build awareness among family physicians, their staff and patients about the need for physical activity, proper nutrition and emotional well-being of individuals, families and communities.

"We are thrilled to partner with organizations such as McDonald's as we continue to work toward educating our patients and the public on health and food choices," says Michael Fleming, M.D., AAFP past president. "By working together, we have the potential to help millions of Americans make healthy nutritional choices."

"At McDonald's, we support and encourage balanced, active lifestyles for our customers, which are also the goals of the AIM program," said Dr. Cathy Kapica, director of global nutrition for McDonald's. "We've worked closely with the AAFP, to determine what information would help family physicians educate their patients about how to live balanced, active lifestyles, especially when visiting McDonald's."

"We are excited to offer resources such as nutrition information on McDonald's menu choices and a new slide-chart tool which easily identifies appropriate food and exercise based on the USDA's 'My Pyramid,' and we look forward to continuing to identify opportunities to further the AIM initiative."

To further underscore the support, McDonald's will distribute patient education tools and information at this weekend's meeting of the AAFP at San Francisco's Moscone Center, scheduled to run through Saturday, October 1.

McDonald's will be hosting special guests at its booth during the AAFP meeting, including Olympic Gold Medal Winner Janet Evans on Friday, September 30, as well as the company's Chief Happiness Officer(TM), Ronald McDonald(R), on Saturday, October 1. A silent auction benefiting Americans in Motion will be held the evening of Friday, September 30 at the Marriott.

The AAFP anticipates a total meeting attendance of 10,000 which includes physicians, exhibitors and families.

About Americans in Motion (AIM)

Americans in Motion was created in response to the epidemic of obesity in the United States. The first step of the initiative, launched in September 2003, focused on improving the health of family physicians themselves. Family physicians were encouraged to "walk the talk" about fitness, and lead healthier lives by incorporating physical activity and proper nutrition into their daily routine. Step two, launched in October 2004, challenged family physicians' office staff to become more fit and participate in the "Healthiest Family Medicine Office in America" program. The third and final step, currently in development, focuses on patients and communities. In this final step, family physicians are able to act as role models for their patients and include their own personal experiences when counseling patients on fitness.

AIM is supported by educational grants from the following core supporters: The AAFP Foundation, Campbell's Center for Nutrition and Wellness, McDonald's Corporation, McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, National Dairy Council and PepsiCo, Inc. Educational partners include Action for Healthy Kids, America on the Move, International Council on Active Aging, International Food and Information Council, President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Scholastic, Inc., Walk4Life and We Can!

For information on Americans in Motion, visit the AAFP's Web site at http://www.americansinmotion.org.

About the American Academy of Family Physicians

Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents more than 94,000 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care.

Nearly one in four of all office visits are made to general and family physicians. That is 215 million office visits each year -- 59 million more than to any other medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide the majority of care for America's underserved and rural populations.

In the increasingly fragmented world of health care where many medical specialties limit their practice to a particular organ, disease, age or sex, family physicians are dedicated to treating the whole person across the full spectrum of ages. Family medicine's cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care.

To learn more about the American Academy of Family Physicians and about the specialty of family medicine, please visit www.aafp.org.

About McDonald's

McDonald's USA, LLC, is the leading foodservice provider in the United States serving a variety of wholesome foods made from quality ingredients to almost 27 million customers every day. More than 80 percent of McDonald's 13,700 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by local franchisees. For more information about McDonald's visit www.mcdonalds.com.

(C) 2005 McDonald's

Source: Business Wire

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