A two-mile walking event for people of all ages begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 on Ruston Way in Tacoma to help raise public awareness about the health dangers of being overweight or obese.

The Walk from Obesity is sponsored by the St. Francis Center for Weight Management in Federal Way and the Obesity Action Coalition, a Florida organization that sponsors similar walks in cities across the nation to raise awareness about obesity, morbid obesity and childhood obesity. Other local sponsors of the Tacoma walk are Drs. Ki Oh and Thomas Hirai, bariatric surgeons at the St. Francis Weight Loss Surgery Clinic in Federal Way.

The $25 per-person registration fee includes a commemorative T-shirt. Children age 12 and younger can take part in the event free of charge. Participants must register online at www.walkfromobesity.com. Pledge sheets are also available; all proceeds are to be designated for support of education, research and prevention of obesity.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 33 percent of adult men are obese; 35 percent of adult women are obese; and 16 percent of children between the ages of 2 and 19 are extremely overweight or obese.

"Being obese increases the person’s risk for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, arthritis, sleep apnea and some types of cancer," says Dr. Oh, one of the leading weight loss surgeons in the Pacific Northwest who performs bariatric procedures at St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way.

Overweight and obesity are both labels for ranges of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The terms also identify ranges of weight that have been shown to increase the likelihood of certain diseases and other health problems.

This marks the first time the Walk from Obesity has been held in Tacoma and the event has gained support from throughout the region. City councils in Federal Way, Lakewood, Tacoma and Gig Harbor have proclaimed Sept. 27 as National Walk from Obesity Day as a way to encourage people to participate in the walking event.

Participants in the Walk from Obesity will follow a 2-mile flat route that begins and ends at Dickman Mill Park along historic Ruston Way.

"Obesity impacts the quality of life of men, women and children," says Dr. Hirai, a bariatric surgeon who also performs weight loss procedures at St. Francis Hospital. "By participating in this walk, individuals will show their commitment to taking action and to working toward a solution for what has become a health crisis in our country."

For more information, call the St. Francis Center for Weight Management at 800-823-6525.

St. Francis Hospital, the St. Francis Center for Weight Management, and the St. Francis Weight Loss Surgery Clinic are part of the Franciscan Health System, the South Sound’s premier health care provider renowned for advanced medicine and trusted care.