Eradicating Childhood Obesity

One in three children is obese or overweight and, for the first time in history, this generation is on track to have a shorter life span than their parents. Unfortunately, for some children, where they grow up determines how well and how long they live. Under-served communities, like many areas in Cleveland and Akron, are plagued with food deserts and neighborhoods with limited access to fresh foods. Children in the inner-city don't have safe places to exercise.

Many school districts are forced to curtail or eliminate physical education and health classes due to lack of resources.  That's why I have introduced legislation aimed at combating childhood obesity. The Promoting Health as Youth Skills in Classrooms and Life (PHYSICAL) Act gives our schools the flexibility they need to give physical education the attention it deserves in promoting our children’s well-being.

The PHYSICAL Act (view summary of the bill here) would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind) to elevate physical and health education to “core subjects” under federal Law.  Subjects that are not considered “core” under the current education law are frequently marginalized due to lack of funding or administrative priority.

In 2010, I was also proud to introduce the first ever resolution to designate September as Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and President Obama has issued a presidential proclamation recognizing the month for every year since.  Click here to read Rep. Fudge's statement on her 2013 resolution. See the White House proclamation for 2013 here. 

Here are the facts:

• Over the past 40 years, the number of obese American children has increased by over 400%;
• A study conducted by University Hospitals in Cleveland found that the obesity rate in Ohio is 36% for children 10 -17;
• If this epidemic is not mitigated, 23 million children run the risk of being the first American generation to live shorter life spans than their parents;
• A recent study conducted by retired military officers found 9 million American young men and women of recruiting age “too fat to fight";
• Our country spends almost $150 billion per year to treat obesity-related conditions in adults;
• Costs due to excess weight during childhood are estimated at $3 billion per year, yet it's estimated that 80 percent of overweight adolescents grow up to be obese adults;
• Fit for Life, a comprehensive bill last introduced by Rep. Fudge in 2011, tackles the lack of supermarkets in under-served communities by creating a program to award grants to local partnerships to establish or enhance existing supermarkets that sell fresh fruits and produce in low income communities located in food deserts. It expands the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, by amending the National School Lunch Act, to include secondary schools, child care centers, and family child care homes, while increasing access to the Summer Food Service Programs for Children.
• Fit for Life addresses excess costs through preventative measures and altering external circumstances to reduce the number of children who will become obese, therefore reducing the likelihood they will become obese adults;

"We talk extensively about the health of the country we will leave our children, but what about the health of the children we will leave our country? We encourage our kids to prosper, but too many of them will not be healthy enough to fight in the military, or will be overburdened with diseases like type II diabetes and high blood pressure when they grow up," said Congresswoman Fudge.

Our goal is to end childhood obesity in Ohio and across America.