Today, 12.5 million children are overweight in the United States - more than 17 percent. Overweight children are at greater risk for many serious health problems. The Surgeon General's Childhood Overweight and Obesity Prevention Initiative promotes the importance of healthy eating and physical activity at a young age to help prevent overweight and obesity in this country. What Can You Do? Join this effort. Take the Surgeon General's Pledge to help prevent childhood overweight and obesity. Everyone has a role to play - use these action checklists to get started.
Parents and Other Caregivers Checklist: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/obesityprevention/parents.html
Schools and Teachers Checklist: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/obesityprevention/schools.html
Community Checklist: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/obesityprevention/community.html For more information visit, http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/obesityprevention/pledge.html
About 4-H Choose Health
Learning to make healthy choices is at the core of 4-H youth development's basic values. "Health" is, after all, the 4th H, following Head, Heart and Hands.
Families today are busier than ever, with more work, school and afterschool activities and scheduling issues. Couple these things with more sedentary lifestyles and more access to quick, sometimes less healthy meal choices and you can easily see the reasons for today's childhood obesity statistics.
There are, however, many good, simple and fun ways to overcome the statistics and stay healthy together.
Families today are busier than ever, with more work, school and afterschool activities and scheduling issues. Couple these things with more sedentary lifestyles and more access to quick, sometimes less healthy meal choices and you can easily see the reasons for today's childhood obesity statistics.
There are, however, many good, simple and fun ways to overcome the statistics and stay healthy together.
