In the state of the union address a few weeks ago, President Barack Obama announced that his wife, Michelle, has been laying the groundwork for over a year, developing a plan to fight childhood obesity. To achieve this goal, Michelle Obama has requested the help of parents, schools, health professionals, sports and entertainment role models, business leaders and governments.
Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic that causes numerous health problems that can affect children now and as they grow into adults. Currently 1 out of every 3 children is considered overweight.
There are several factors contributing to this epidemic including the following:
Busy parents opt for fast food rather than healthy family dinners at home.
Vending machines stocked with soda and candy bars.
Availability of high fat, high calorie snacks marketed towards children.
High cost of healthy options (there may be a link between obesity and low income).
Children rather watch TV or play games than play outside and exercise.
Clyde Yancy, president of the American Heart Association, said Obama’s focus will help generate the motivation needed to change attitudes. Michelle Obama, known as a mother, motivator and role model is the perfect fit to get this job done. Yancy admits Michelle has a tough job ahead of her, but he thinks that her goals can be achieved only with the help of several of organizations that can make substantive changes such as reducing fatty snacks and sodas in schools, providing better nutrition labeling of processed foods.
Michelle Obama’s plan to end childhood obesity includes the following:
Increase federal money to make cafeteria options healthier
Get the junk food out of school vending machines.
Expand time for school recess and physical education.
Offer federal incentives to low income families so that they can purchase healthier foods.
Stop companies from marketing junk food to children.
Pass laws to make restaurants to print nutrition information on menus.
Encourage health practitioners to do more medical screening for obesity in children.
Work with FDA to improve food labeling.
Provide behavior counseling to overweight kids.
Included in this list is the ‘School Lunch Program’ which is up for review by Congress this year. Parents can control their child’s diet most of the time, but a huge weakness in her fight against obesity is the options available to kids when their parents aren’t around – at school. To help with the School Lunch Program, President Barack Obama’s proposed budget calls for an additional 1 billion dollars each year for child nutrition programs.
Dora Rivas, president of the School Nutrition Association and director of food services for the Dallas public schools, said schools need more federal dollars to be able to use fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains into lunches, and to keep up with the growing numbers of children who qualify for free or reduced-cost meals.
Michelle Obama has a tough road ahead of her, but she said last month that she won’t be satisfied unless she knows she’s made a difference. “That is the legacy I want,” she said. “I want to leave something behind that we can say, because of this time that this person spent here, this thing has changed.”
SOURCE: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_first_lady_s_cause
SOURCE: http://www.schoolnutrition.org/Blog.aspx?id=13585&blogid=564