Earlier this month First Lady Michelle Obama launched an initiative to improve the health of the America’s youth in response to what she has called “insufficient” efforts to address the childhood obesity epidemic.
Currently, almost one third of children in the United States are overweight or obese, a staggering statistic when considering that this rate has tripled in adolescents and doubled in younger children.
Serious chronic conditions including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and asthma are associated with overweight and lead to thousands of deaths annually. It is believed that a healthier generation of Americans could help decrease the number of preventable deaths and significantly reduce the cost of healthcare.
In addition to establishing an interagency taskforce, the Lets Move initiative will call upon nonprofit, private and public sector groups to help support the work of the Federal Government. The initiative will devise strategies to ensure access to healthy, affordable food, improve nutrition in public schools, and encourage increased physical activity.
In a time when the country is focused on improving the healthcare system, this initiative comes at a crucial moment in our history. This movement along with many others initiatives and programs by the Federal Government herald a new era of national behavioral changes geared towards empowering citizens to lead longer, healthier lives.