The University of South Alabama Hospitals - USA Medical Center and USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital - have joined hospitals throughout the state in participating in "Scale Back Alabama," an eight-week program sponsored by the Alabama Hospital Association and the Alabama Department of Public Health.

"Scale Back Alabama is designed to get people thinking about becoming healthier," said Paulette Wilson, employee health nurse at USA Medical Center. "We are participating in this campaign because we see the results of obesity every day in our patients in terms of higher blood pressure, increased diabetes, depression and many other illnesses that can be directly tied to obesity."

Employees at each USA hospital are being encouraged to participate in the program, which includes weight-loss classes and a healthy competition among teams of three to five people who hold each other accountable for "sticking to" their diets and exercise routines.