Collection:LPB

Genre: Panel

Place Covered: Louisiana

Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority

Date Issued: 2005-02-16

Duration: 00:55:50

Subjects: Filmed panel discussions | Health | Obesity | Cancer | SMOKING

Contributors:

• Courtney, Beth Host
• Zewe, Charles Host
• Godoy, Al Producer
• Bouchard, Claude Interviewee
• Macklin, Rudy Interviewee
• Dewey-Koller, Janet Interviewee
• Holland, Cherie Interviewee
• Owens, Maida Interviewee
• Meyer, Barry Speaker
• Petrakis, Angela Speaker
• Victorian, Michael Speaker
• Bennett, Debi Speaker
• Myers, Pam Speaker
• Beskin, Charles Speaker
• Shows, Chrysta Speaker
• Campbell, Ginger Speaker
• Fontham, Elizabeth Panelist
• Smith, Steven Panelist
• Brooks, Jay Panelist

This episode of the series “Louisiana Public Square” from February 16, 2005, features Charles Zewe leading a discussion between the audience members and panelists on the connection between Louisiana lifestyles and the state’s ranking as the unhealthiest state in the country. A background report on the topic precedes the discussion and touches on the state’s high rates of obesity, diabetes, underage drinking, and smoking. It includes interviews with: Dr. Claude Bouchard, the executive director of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge; Rudy Macklin, the executive director of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports; Janet Dewey-Koller, the executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD); Cherie Holland, a gastric bypass surgery patient; and Maida Owens, the director of the Louisiana State Folklife Program. The audience members then discuss: the reasons for the unhealthy lifestyles in Louisiana; how they try to stay healthy; their experiences with cancer; smoking; and childhood obesity. A panel of experts then joins the audience to answer their questions. The panelists are: Dr. Elizabeth Fontham, the dean of the LSU School of Public Health; Dr. Steven Smith, a researcher in the Endocrinology Laboratory at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center; and Dr. Jay Brooks, the chairman of the Department of Hematology and Oncology at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in Baton Rouge. They discuss: the impact of stress on your health; cancer risks; their advice for living a healthy lifestyle; and the importance of preventive medicine. Hosts: Beth Courtney and Charles Zewe