Obesity in Georgia – 63% of adults in Georgia are obese or overweight, and that trend, for most of them, starts when they are children. By middle school, 33% of Georgia children are at risk of obesity. It's estimated that these excess pounds cost the state over $2 billion per year in direct health care costs and lost productivity. This special edition focuses on what's being called an obesity epidemic by looking at its impact on individuals, health care and education, and by looking at some programs that are making a difference. Our guests will be Dr. Kimberly Redding, Director of the Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Branch for the state's Division of Public Health, Dr. Terri McFadden, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Emory School of Medicine, Dr. Yvonne Butler, Principal, Browns Mill Elementary School, the first "sugar-free" school in the country, and Donna Hardy, of Wilkes Wild About Wellness.

Next week on Georgia Weekly: A Legislative Update with Chuck Clay of Insider Advantage, Shannon McCaffrey of the Associated Press, and Randy Lewis of Georgia Political Digest.