Fat Chance

This week, reporter Geoff Thompson goes to the Victorian town of Ararat to see if an ongoing community intervention to promote weight loss and better health can work. Ararat was the town targeted by the television program 'The Biggest Loser' because of the number of overweight people there. The show highlighted the battle of one small group of residents to shed excess kilos by doing vigorous exercise, while being offered the chance to change their diet. With support of the Ararat Council, winnings from the show were used to fund an 'Active 8' program to extend a fitness and health regime to others in the community. The whole community took up the challenge, with hundreds of residents now wearing pedometers to record their movement each day.