Imagine you were the wife of the President of the United States. Of course, there would be an expectation you would lead a meaningful cause, but which one? There are so many needs. As an American citizen, I ask myself the same question.
The answer became clearer to me in my twenties when I had the honor of attending a luncheon with Marion Wright Edelman, president of the Children's Defense fund. She is a lifelon
g advocateand voice for disadvantaged children and families. I have never been more inspired by any one individual in my life. From that day forward my philanthropic focus has been children's causes. The question of "which children's cause" to support can be tough - because there are so many.
One issue that is near to my heart as the mother of a pre-teen is childhood obesity. Our children's vitality, esteem and longevity is dependent on our ability to effectively address this epidemic. Like many moms (and dads!), I could not have been more thrilled to hear about Michelle Obama's Let's Move program. It's a nationwide initiative to improve nutrition education, the quality of food served in public schools, the accessibility of fresh healthy foods, and participation in physical fitness.
When you get down to dollars and cents, the direct and indirect cost of childhood obesity in America is $147 billion annually. The CDC reports childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years, and childhood obesity has both immediate and long-term health impacts:
- Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
- Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem.
- Obese youth are more likely than youth of normal weight to become overweight or obese adults, and therefore more at risk for associated adult health problems, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.
So how did we come to a place in the history of mankind where our children are becoming super-sized?
According to Yale Professor Kelly Brownell (Psychology, Epidemiology and Public Health), unhealthy choices are nearly ubiquitous. He also says the relentless marketing of unhealthful food, and too little access to healthy foods contributes to the obesity epidemic. His thoughts and research on this issue can be found in the Center for Science in the Public Interest newsletter, Nutrition Action Health Letter. Check out the link to subscribe. I have subscribed to this newsletter for a decade and it is OUTSTANDING! It's a watchdog organization that cuts through advertising hype about food products and lays out what's real (and sometimes the truth about food products can be really fascinating and disgusting!) Either way, it's awesome information!
In Professor Brownell's article, he addresses the question: are we becoming less responsible for our health and well-being? Actually, we are not on many fronts - mammograms, seat belt use, and reduced heavy drinking and smoking. In the past decades we've made progress on many health and safety fronts.
So what motivates over-eating or unhealthy choices. Are there social rewards? Not hardly. Overweight children are teased, feel discrimination and have a lower self esteem.
Bringing this full circle, I think Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" 
initiative is very important. If the current obesity trend continues, my son's generation will have a shorter lifespan than my generation. That's not acceptable. And if we don't address this issue, will our children wonder why we didn't protect them from all the unhealthy options surrounding us?
What do you think about the childhood obesity problem? Have you experienced this issue in your household? How do you promote healthy/nutritious food choices in your home? Please share!
