Published: Jan. 20, 2010 at 5:38 PM
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- First lady Michelle Obama asked U.S. mayors Wednesday not to cut the fat from their budgets but to help children overcome obesity.
Obama spoke about childhood obesity during the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington. Obama last week said the issue would be one of her key initiatives as she begins her second year as the first lady.
"Right now, nearly one third of children in America are overweight or obese -- one in three," Obama said. "And one third of all children today will eventually suffer from diabetes (and) in the African American and Latino communities, it goes up to almost half."
She called obesity "one of the biggest threats to the American economy."...
Obesity is a serious health concern for children and adolescents. (click title to entry - thank you) Data from NHANES surveys (1976–1980 and 2003–2006) show that the prevalence of obesity has increased: for children aged 2–5 years, prevalence increased from 5.0% to 12.4%; for those aged 6–11 years, prevalence increased from 6.5% to 17.0%; and for those aged 12–19 years, prevalence increased from 5.0% to 17.6%.1, 46...
