Rite Aid offers weight-loss tips

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Americans make hundreds of millions of New Year's resolutions every year, following some to the letter and ignoring others. Health-related resolutions are among the most common, giving pharmacy retailers a way to pitch in and help.

Rite Aid announced Wednesday that it would offer customers free expert advice on weight loss in printed guides, online resources and conversations with pharmacists during the month of January. According to the retailer, 50% of Americans will make resolutions this year, but consumer polls showed that more than 75% of respondents don't make it three months into their weight-loss resolutions, while one-third don't last 30 days, often due to the failure to create steps for achieving their goals.

Rite Aid's program will include a 12-page guide to weight management, with information about the childhood obesity epidemic, meal planning, calorie guides and tips to losing weight; online resources at the retailer's website, such as a body mass index calculator and recipes; and pharmacists who will share their knowledge on such topics as drug therapies, dieting myths, diabetes and basic lifestyle tips.

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