Celebrate by walking and bicycling to school!

Every person in the US can be an important part of Childhood Obesity Awareness Month by taking small steps (think walking and bicycling to school!) that add up to a big difference: eating more balanced meals and snacks, engaging in physical activity more regularly and sharing your personal plan and commitment with family and friends of all ages. We encourage you to use Childhood Obesity Month to get ready for Walk and Bike to School Day  (October 3) and Month (the whole month of October).  Read More.

Teaching Gardens co-founder Kelly Meyer, the American Heart Association, and the California Endowment will showcase a Teaching Garden at the word premiere of Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment's Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. This special Teaching Garden will then be donated to The Accelerated Charter Elementary Schools, model schools in South Los Angeles.  The American Heart Association Teaching Gardens program provides hands-on learning experience rooted in offering nutritional choices.  Dr. Seuss' The Lorax opens in theaters March 2nd.

Did you know that childhood obesity is the No. 1 health concern among parents in the United States, topping drug abuse and smoking?  Among children today, obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously weren’t seen until adulthood. If current trends continue, today’s kids could be the first generation to live shorter lives than their parents.   Help your child develop healthy habits early in life that will bring lifelong benefits. As you gain practical tips on helping your kids eat nutritious meals and enjoy a physically active lifestyle, be sure to apply these same behaviors to your own life. The best way to lead your child to a healthy lifestyle is to set a positive example yourself.  Find out how.

Ghosts, ghouls and goblins might be scary for our kids, but the most frightening thing for adults may be that our children are the first generation of Americans not expected to outlive their parents!!

It's hard to believe that obesity has become one of the most serious threats to the health of our children. In addition to its health toll, obesity is also now estimated to account for a staggering 12% of our nation's healthcare costs!

The good news? We know the health benefits of physical activity and good nutrition, and we know that healthier children also perform better academically.

To understand childhood obesity and what you can do to fight it, please click the link Childhood Obesity Resources.

President Obama and Congress proclaimed September 2010 the first-ever Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, calling national attention and action to this epidemic. Ohio Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge co-sponsored the House resolution. Congresswoman Fudge says dedicating at least one month per year to the crisis will help maximize the impact of programs, activities and campaigns -- all aligned with the sole purpose of eradicating childhood obesity.

Every person in the US can be an important part of Childhood Obesity Awareness Month by taking small steps (think walking and bicycling to school!) that add up to a big difference: eating more balanced meals and snacks, engaging in physical activity more regularly and sharing your personal plan and commitment with family and friends of all ages. 

This year, advocates have provided a toolkit with information, weblinks and tools to promote and celebrate September as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.

Back to School Time is the Perfect Time to Make Healthier Decisions for Our Kids!

It's hard to believe that obesity has become one of the most serious threats to the health of our children. In addition to its health toll, obesity is also now estimated to account for a staggering 12% of our nation's healthcare costs!
 
In addition to poor nutrition choices, this rise in childhood obesity is due, in large part, to significant decreases in physical activity. For various reasons, many children don't have the opportunity to be active outside of school and, unfortunately, a national study shows that 92% of elementary schools no longer offer daily PE classes throughout the year.

The good news? We know the health benefits of physical activity and good nutrition, and we know that healthier children also perform better academically.

Urge the Board of Education to invest in the future of our children by supporting policies that encourage better nutrition and increased physical activity. To be successful, it will take all of us--parents, schools, communities, and elected officials--working together to improve the health of our children.

Help get our kids off to a healthy start in the new school year! Send your message now!

The rate of overweight among children has tripled over the past 30 years. First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign highlights the growing public interest in finding ways to reverse this trend. One factor that may be important in shaping children’s dietary intake and weight is food prices. This report estimates the effect of food prices on children’s Body Mass Index (BMI) using variation in food prices across time and geographic areas.

The study found that food prices have small but statistically significant effects on children’s BMI, but not all food prices have the same effect. While the magnitude of the price effects is similar for healthier and less healthy foods, the direction differs. Lower prices for some healthier foods, such as lowfat milk and dark green vegetables, are associated with decreases in children’s BMI. In contrast, lower prices for soda, 100-percent juices, starchy vegetables, and sweet snacks are associated with increases in children’s BMI.

Highlights include:

• A 10-percent price decrease for lowfat milk in the previous quarter is associated with a decrease in BMI of approximately 0.35 percent, or about 0.07 BMI unit for an 8- to 9-year-old.

• A 10-percent drop in the price of dark green vegetables (e.g., spinach and broccoli) in the previous quarter is associated with a reduction in BMI of 0.28 percent.

• A decrease in the price of sweet snacks during the previous quarter is associated with an increase in BMI of 0.27 percent.

Please click here to access the study.

We have an obesity epidemic in our nation and it is, unfortunately, starting with our children. An astonishing one in three American youths are overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963. While it will take all of us working together to turn back the tide of obesity, our decision makers have the ability to affect policies that can lead to broad health improvements.

Will you ask them to be part of the solution as we try to tackle this growing problem?

We know that obesity can lead to a multitude of chronic-- and costly--health problems, including heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Sadly, these are diseases we're now finding in kids that weren't previously seen until adulthood. We must start reducing obesity in children if we want a future with a healthier population and lower healthcare costs.

The good news is that obesity can be prevented---without expensive, high-tech treatments or cutting-edge medications. The solution begins and ends with the daily decisions we all make, and we must decide to change the way our children are eating.

The Centers for Disease Control has released a report, Children's Food Environment-State Indicator Report 2011, that reveals many ways our state can make relatively small changes that add up to big improvements.

Please take a moment to click on your state below to ask our decision makers to support policies that lead to a better, healthier future for our kids.

Delaware
Kentucky
Ohio
Pennsylvania
West Virginia

Thank you for making the health of our kids a priority!

Oliver, an internationally renowned chef, is teaming up with the AHA to to combat obesity and improve the dietary health of Americans by raising funds to open Food Revolution Kitchens, community-based centers where people can learn how to prepare affordable, nutritious family meals.

The Jamie Oliver Food Foundation goal is to open kitchen centers within the next 18 months in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland, Baltimore and Dallas.

"It is a pleasure to be working with someone as passionate about the health of our children and our communities as Jamie Oliver," said AHA President Ralph L. Sacco, M.D. "His eye-opening reality show really resonates with people and encourages them to be smarter about the food choices they make."

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, on ABC

Our nation’s youth face major roadblocks to good health with easy access to calorie-laden snacks, sugary beverages and other unhealthy foods in their schools and communities. With about 1 out of every 6 children in the U.S. considered obese, we are condemning our kids to a bleak future of premature health problems such as type-2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease. The CDC Report: Children’s Food Environment State Indicator Report is a painful reminder that many children continue to lack access to fruits, vegetables and nutritious food close to home. We must place a greater emphasis on making healthier food choices more accessible and affordable, particularly for families living in food deserts where the nearest supermarket could be miles away and for those surrounded by fast food restaurants or corner stores with less healthy offerings.

Parents, schools, child-care facilities and communities have the potential to improve the health of young people by providing the tools they need to learn lifelong healthy behaviors. By strengthening nutrition standards in schools, pre-schools and day care settings, we can help limit kids’ exposure to unhealthy options. We must also support measures to reduce sodium and eliminate trans fat in the food supply, increase community and school gardens, reduce children’s exposure to marketing and advertising of unhealthy foods and require calorie information to be displayed on menus and menu boards in all restaurants.

Strong public policies and community programs to increase access to healthy foods will help children develop heart-healthy eating habits that could significantly reduce childhood obesity rates across the country.

Great news! Late last week, the Delaware House passed House Bill 3 w/HA 1 which would ban industrially produced trans fats from our schools.

But we need your help to cross the finish line!

Trans fats are found in some fried foods and baked goods, have been found to significantly lower HDL (good) cholesterol and significantly increase LDL (bad) cholesterol, make arteries more rigid, cause major clogging of arteries, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cause or contribute to other serious health problems.

Please take a moment to thank the House for their swift action and urge the Senate to also act quickly to pass this important legislation!

Thank you for helping improve the health of Delaware's kids!

Votes on BMI Monitoring Bills Likely Next Week: Lend Your Voice of Support Today!

With Kentucky currently ranking third nationally for childhood obesity, Senate Bill 32 and House Bill 89 could not come at a more crucial time. High rates of childhood obesity in Kentucky decrease the overall health and wellness of children today and will have profound health and economic consequences for the state in the future. In order to address childhood obesity, solutions must be informed by data. Currently, there is no good source of county-level data to help target resources and track obesity prevention efforts, but these bills would address this. HB 89 is on Tuesday's agenda and SB 32 is also likely to be voted on early next week!

Please take a moment NOW to send your message!

It's critical that members of the Senate and House Education Committees hear from you now that we must begin to address childhood obesity in Kentucky, and that SB 32 and HB 89 will move us in the right direction.

Please send your message now then forward to others and ask them to do the same!

Thank you for helping fight childhood obesity in Kentucky!

Great news! The House of Representatives passed the Child Nutrition Act, by a vote of 264 to 157! This action by the House completes Congress' work on the bill and sends it to the President's desk to be signed into law.

The American Heart Association owes you a big THANK YOU. Thanks to the support of you and your fellow advocates, over 25,000 emails, phone calls, and petitions, were sent to Members of Congress to push for action on the Child Nutrition Act.

We can all be proud that the final bill contains provisions that will help ensure a healthier school environment for our kids, including removing junk foods from schools, strengthening school wellness policies and increasing funding for more nutritious school lunches.

To read a one page overview of the provisions of the bill, click here.

Together, we will build on this progress as we continue our fight for healthy hearts for our kids.

Senators heard your message: they did the responsible thing for our kids and passed the Child Nutrition Act before adjourning for recess.

But now that Members of Congress are beginning their August Recess, we need to make sure the House of Representatives doesn't fall behind!

Our Representatives need to see that when schools and Congress are back in session this fall, millions of kids will be counting on them to take action to make cafeterias and classrooms healthier places.

So, help us show them! Send the Child Nutrition photo petition to your legislator while they're home on recess.

Hundreds of You're the Cure advocates submitted their photos urging Congress to pass the Child Nutrition Act- and now it's time to use the pictures to demonstrate to our Representatives just how important Americans think the health of our children is.

The Child Nutrition Act will give our kids the tools they need to fight childhood obesity at school by strengthening nutrition standards for school meals and expanding opportunities for physical activity.

Help get that important message to your Representative by sending the photo petition today!

By keeping the pressure up throughout the recess break, we can help ensure the House of Representatives is primed and motivated to act when they return to Capitol Hill.

‎30 million kids took a giant leap toward healthier choices at school yesterday! That’s because the U.S. Senate passed the Child Nutrition Act! Great work by our You're the Cure advocates! Read the AHA's official statement on the passage of the act here.

Click here to send a thank you note to your Senators today!

Next goal: Getting the bill passed by the House of Representatives. We continue to encourage our advocates to contact their representatives to pass this bill through the House! Check ou the great grassroots photo initiative around this issue:

With a camera and a simple message in hand, hundreds of advocates across the country participated in our Child Nutrition photo petition throughout the month of July! Their show of support will help the American Heart Association demonstrate to Congress the critical need to prioritize the health of our kids by passing the Child Nutrition Act now. Check out the pictures collected here!

Amy Jo Sutterluety wrote a great letter to the editor congratulating Ohio on the passage Healthy Choices for Healthy Children legislation. Amy Jo is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine and praises the legislation for taking a great first step. But she also encourages Ohio to continue this important work in combating childhood obesity by taking further action and addressing physical activity and the quality of  physical education in our State. Read the LTE on Ohio.com here

Letters to the editor are a fantastic way for you, American Heart Association advocates, to not only make your voice heard to legislators but to bring media attention and public attention to an issue that may otherwise never leave the Capitol building. Making others aware through LTEs can help build momentum and support for the issues that you work so hard to support! If you would like to write an LTE to your local media on any of our issues, please let us know!

Adult obesity continues to climb in the United States, according to a new report by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

According to the publication, "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2010," 38 states have adult obesity rates above 25 percent, compared to no states above 20 percent in 1991. In the past year, obesity rates rose in 28 states and fell only in the District of Columbia.

The report highlights troubling racial, ethnic, regional and income disparities in the nation's obesity epidemic. For instance, adult obesity rates for blacks and Latinos were higher than for whites in at least 40 states and the District of Columbia.

The report presents obesity statistics for adults and youths ages 10-17, as well as a new poll in which 80 percent of respondents said they recognize childhood obesity as a major future health challenge.

Adult Obesity Rates in GRA States

State	Rank	Rate of Obesity
Delaware	20	27.9%
Kentucky	7	30.5%
Ohio	13	29%
Pennsylvania	17	28.1%
West Virginia	4	31.3%

Read "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2010."

Last night, the Ohio Senate voted 24-7 in support of Senate Bill 210. This legislation is a first step towards addressing childhood obesity in Ohio. We know children spend much of their time in school and schools have a powerful impact on children. The legislation will allow schools to use that influence for postive change. The bill, as passed in the Senate, will:

• Set beverage nutrition standards similar to the agreement with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the American Beverage Association. 
• Set a standard for snack foods sold outside of the school meal program.  (At the federal level, the American Heart Association is working to pass the NEW Schools Act.)
• Beginning in 2013, new physical education teachers will be certified to teach in the subject area.  It will also require the adoption of performance indicators to improve the quality of physical education
• Encourage schools to provide 30 minutes of physical activity daily.  This can be accomplished through a variety of mechanisms.
• Utilize Body Mass Index (BMI) to evaluate the impact of these efforts and help gauge the need for other solutions.

Though the Senate has pass the legislation, the House will continue its work. A vote is possible next week.

While many solutions are needed for this epidemic, SB 210 (and its House counterpart, House Bill 373) will begin to solve the problem. We applaud the Senate for their work on this important topic.

As leaders in their respective fields, the American Heart Association and Nintendo are joining forces to promote physically active play as part of a healthy lifestyle. It's a first-of-its-kind strategic relationship between a video game company and the American Heart Association. The two organizations come from different worlds but share the common goal of helping consumers discover how active-play video games contribute to healthy living. With nearly 70 percent of Americans not getting the recommended levels of physical activity each week, this relationship could not have come at a better time.

Take action and find fun ways to get physically active through three specific steps that encourage incremental, achievable change for a healthy lifestyle:

• Get Informed about the benefits of being physically active as part of a healthy lifestyle.
• Get Empowered by making proper choices to start a healthy lifestyle. You can learn about physical activity and health and find fun ways to be physically active on a regular basis.
• Get Active by initiating a physical activity program that may include active-play video games such as Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort.

To find out more about this exciting relationship, visit http://www.activeplaynow.com/.