A special issue of Childhood Obesity celebrates the second anniversary of Let’s Move! with contributions from First Lady Obama, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, NFL quarterback Drew Brees, health professionals and youth. The bimonthly journal acknowledges the significant achievements of Let’s Move! in changing the conversation about childhood obesity in America, as well as lays out the challenges ahead for our next generation.
“Ultimately, the battle with childhood obesity will be won with feet and forks,” says David L. Katz, MD, MPH, editor-in-chief of Childhood Obesity. This special issue covers the gamut from the use of games and technology for weight control to the role of faith-based organizations in tackling childhood obesity to the importance of addressing racial and ethnic disparities in obesity prevention. It also includes articles on nutrition standards for school meals, establishing healthy food retail and empowering youth to make healthy choices with tools like MyPlate.com, among others.
Many of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s priorities—increasing access to good food, improving opportunities for physical activity, transforming school food and shaping the national good food and active living movement—are addressed in the journal. Since the launch of Childhood Obesity in 2010, the foundation has helped fund the journal for its role in stimulating dialogue among physicians, nurses, dietitians, nutritionists, psychologists, educators, community organizers and policymakers, and for advancing solutions to the root causes of health inequities in the U.S.
“We applaud the important work of the First Lady and Let’s Move! in moving us all to provide healthier food for our children and greater opportunities for physical activity,” says Dr. Gail Christopher, vice president – program strategy of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. “We’re pleased to see this special issue of Childhood Obesity celebrate Let’s Move!, and call on all of us to get involved in tackling the most urgent health challenge facing our nation.”
Published by Mary Ann Liebert in collaboration with the American Association of Diabetes Educators, American College of Sports Medicine, American Dietetic Association and American Academy of Family Physicians, this special issue of Childhood Obesity is available free online.
