GMA Dives into Childhood Obesity

Photo from whitehouse.gov

This morning on Good Morning America they had a segment that highlighted the current crisis of obesity in America's youth. The story had young children asking federal officials questions about what the government is going to do to make sure school lunches are healthy, making sure there is more physical education during and after school, and ensuring the academic rigor demanded by the No Child Left Behind is matched by some rigorous physical activity as well.

The news segment was inspired by First Lady Obama's "Let's Move" campaign, link, to end childhood obesity within a generation. President Obama signed, link, an executive order yesterday for a collaboration between government, business and nonprofit entities to work together. This was the First Lady's first policy issue she chose to delve into.

Here are some facts that stood out:

-The obesity rate has tripled over the last 30 years.

-Nearly one in three children is overweight or obese in America.

-Obesity is now one of the most common disqualifiers for military service.

SCORES has been attempting to fight this all-too-common condition since 1994, 2002 in Seattle, with after school programming incorporating athletics and academics. We have been getting kids to play soccer three days a week in the Spring and Fall. This gets our poet-athletes out running on the soccer field, increases their heart rates and bringing the joy and excitement of team sports to all participants.

In addition to physical activity SCORES provides a healthy snack to the poet-athletes including whole grain oat granola bars and we work with the Seattle Public School system's after school snack program. SCORES also uses healthy eating as part of the program curriculum. In addition to soccer games, we incorporate games to teach students the benefits of the Food Pyramid, what it means to be physically fit and how to attain it.

We are doing everything with our current funding to encourage many aspects of the First Lady's program. SCORES Seattle hopes that with this added emphasis on healthy young people that there will be a future of healthy kids.

NYTimes article.