By J.R. TIDWELL / Editor

Weigh-in week has come for the beginning of the annual Scale Back Alabama health campaign.

The Alabama Department of Public Health partners with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama and other organizations to put on the campaign each year.

According to the event’s website, “Scale Back Alabama (SBA) is a free statewide weight-loss campaign designed to encourage Alabamians to get healthy and to have fun while doing it. Scale Back Alabama is geared toward adults and is primarily operated with the help of local employers, hospitals and health departments. … Individuals compete on teams of two to win the chance at cash prizes.”

The YMCA of Chilton County, located at 405 Ollie Avenue in Clanton, is once again an official weigh-in site.

Taking part in the campaign is free, and participants must be 18 years of age or older and either live or work in Alabama.

Teams of two must register online at scalebackalabama.com/project/register and then visit an official public weigh-in site during the week of Jan. 21-27. It is helpful to print out confirmation of registration, as that will be needed to officially weigh-in.

The two-person teams will weigh-out during the week of April 1-7.

Teams that succeed in losing at least 10 pounds will be eligible to win cash prizes.

Scale Back Alabama is now in its 13th consecutive year, with the inaugural contest held in January 2007.

Since the opening contest 335,752 participants statewide have lost 1.4 million pounds cumulatively.

“Although our state has made some progress, Alabama is fifth in the nation in terms of adult obesity with a rate of 36.3 percent,” according to a release for the campaign. “A variety of health issues result from and are compounded by being overweight or obese. Scale Back Alabama seeks to empower Alabamians to live healthier lifestyles and reverse this trend.”

Visit scalebackalabama.com for more information.