Task Force on Childhood Obesity
Encyclopedia
The Childhood Obesity Task Force is a United States Government task force charged with reducing childhood obesity in the United States. It was founded on February 9, 2010 by the Obama Administration through a Presidential Memorandum, announcing the establishment of a Task Force on Childhood Obesity. The Task Force aims to develop a plan to reduce childhood obesity. In the announcement, President Barack Obama
highlighted the statistics on childhood obesity in the United States and outlined the steps that this new task force would be taking to end childhood obesity. Section 1 of the Memorandum states:
The task force is designed to support the Administration's "Let's Move" initiative, first announced by Michelle Obama
in February 2010. The Let's Move initiative is similar to the task force, except it focuses on involving more partners in the cause to reduce childhood obesity than just the United States Government.
1. Getting children a healthy start on life
This first goal includes recommendation for getting good prenatal care for mothers, support for breastfeeding, adherence to limits on screen time, and childcare with nutritious food and opportunities for children to be physically active. Goals were set in order to increase the amount of fruits that children eat to 75% of the recommended level by the year 2015, with an 85% increase by 2020, then 100% in the year 2030. Other plans included using the same scale to increase vegetable consumption in children and to decrease amounts of added sugar to many products.
2. Empowering parents and caregivers
The second goal of the Task Force is to educate parents and caregivers with easier to read nutritional labels and food menus which adhere to the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Improved health care services and testing to include Body Mass Index measurement for children is also part of this goal. This goal also aims to reduce the marketing of unhealthy food to children. Michelle Obama said that by the year 2012, all primary care physicians should be measuring BMI index for children.
3. Providing healthy foods in schools
The fight for this particular goal has been referenced in Jamie Oliver
’s “Food Revolution” television series. This goal aims for federally supported schools to begin serving healthy options to children, and to upgrade the nutritional quality of the food sold in schools. Nutrition education is also part of this goal. The Task Force recommends updating the nutritional standards in schools and "improving the nutritional quality of USDA commodities given to schools." It also recommends asking food companies to come up with new products and reformulate existing ones in food so that they meet nutritional standards based on Dietary Guidelines and are appealing to children.
4. Improving access to healthy, affordable food
Lowering prices on healthy foods, developing or re-formulating food products to be healthier, and eliminating “food deserts” (urban and rural areas with a shortage of grocery stores) in America are all part of this goal. The Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan
said that lack of access to healthy food leads to hunger, which subsequently leads to obesity, so this goal is trying to fix the root of the problem by making healthy options more available and affordable. The Task Force Report said that over the past 30 years, the prices for fruits and vegetables have increased nearly twice as fast as the price of carbonated drinks. The high price of fruits and vegetables can reduce consumers' ability to buy such healthy foods. "The Task Force recommends providing economic incentives to increase production of healthy foods, as well as create greater access to local and healthy food."
5. Getting children more physically active
The Task Force recommends physical education and recess along with after school physical activities to be available for all children. This goal also focuses on improving access to parks, playgrounds and indoor and outdoor recreational activities for children. The Task Force report recommends that children and adolescents get at least 60 minutes of exercise daily.
Additionally, Michelle Obama
, the first lady of the United States
, as well as various members of the administration, including Melody Barnes, Barack Obama's domestic council, participate in the Task Force.
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
highlighted the statistics on childhood obesity in the United States and outlined the steps that this new task force would be taking to end childhood obesity. Section 1 of the Memorandum states:
"There is established a Task Force on Childhood Obesity (Task Force) to develop an interagency action plan to solve the problem of obesity among our Nation's children within a generation. The Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy shall serve as Chair of the Task Force."
The task force is designed to support the Administration's "Let's Move" initiative, first announced by Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States...
in February 2010. The Let's Move initiative is similar to the task force, except it focuses on involving more partners in the cause to reduce childhood obesity than just the United States Government.
Goals
The goals of the Childhood Obesity Task Force were outlined by First Lady Michelle Obama in the Task Force Action Plan. The plan includes five goals which are supported by 70 specific recommendations.1. Getting children a healthy start on life
This first goal includes recommendation for getting good prenatal care for mothers, support for breastfeeding, adherence to limits on screen time, and childcare with nutritious food and opportunities for children to be physically active. Goals were set in order to increase the amount of fruits that children eat to 75% of the recommended level by the year 2015, with an 85% increase by 2020, then 100% in the year 2030. Other plans included using the same scale to increase vegetable consumption in children and to decrease amounts of added sugar to many products.
2. Empowering parents and caregivers
The second goal of the Task Force is to educate parents and caregivers with easier to read nutritional labels and food menus which adhere to the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Improved health care services and testing to include Body Mass Index measurement for children is also part of this goal. This goal also aims to reduce the marketing of unhealthy food to children. Michelle Obama said that by the year 2012, all primary care physicians should be measuring BMI index for children.
3. Providing healthy foods in schools
The fight for this particular goal has been referenced in Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver
James "Jamie" Trevor Oliver, MBE , sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools...
’s “Food Revolution” television series. This goal aims for federally supported schools to begin serving healthy options to children, and to upgrade the nutritional quality of the food sold in schools. Nutrition education is also part of this goal. The Task Force recommends updating the nutritional standards in schools and "improving the nutritional quality of USDA commodities given to schools." It also recommends asking food companies to come up with new products and reformulate existing ones in food so that they meet nutritional standards based on Dietary Guidelines and are appealing to children.
4. Improving access to healthy, affordable food
Lowering prices on healthy foods, developing or re-formulating food products to be healthier, and eliminating “food deserts” (urban and rural areas with a shortage of grocery stores) in America are all part of this goal. The Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan
Kathleen Merrigan
Kathleen Merrigan was sworn in as the United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture on April 8, 2009.Merrigan helped develop USDA's organic labeling rules while head of the Agricultural Marketing Service from 1999-2001. Between her USDA positions, she worked at Tufts University as Director of the...
said that lack of access to healthy food leads to hunger, which subsequently leads to obesity, so this goal is trying to fix the root of the problem by making healthy options more available and affordable. The Task Force Report said that over the past 30 years, the prices for fruits and vegetables have increased nearly twice as fast as the price of carbonated drinks. The high price of fruits and vegetables can reduce consumers' ability to buy such healthy foods. "The Task Force recommends providing economic incentives to increase production of healthy foods, as well as create greater access to local and healthy food."
5. Getting children more physically active
The Task Force recommends physical education and recess along with after school physical activities to be available for all children. This goal also focuses on improving access to parks, playgrounds and indoor and outdoor recreational activities for children. The Task Force report recommends that children and adolescents get at least 60 minutes of exercise daily.
Members
The members of the Task Force were outlined in the Presidential Memorandum. The following are the members of the Task Force as announced by President Obama outlined in the memorandum:- Secretary of the Interior: Secretary Ken SalazarKen SalazarKenneth Lee "Ken" Salazar is the current United States Secretary of the Interior, in the administration of President Barack Obama. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a United States Senator from Colorado from 2005 to 2009. He and Mel Martinez were the first Hispanic U.S...
- Secretary of Agriculture: Secretary Tom VilsackTom VilsackThomas James "Tom" Vilsack is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and presently the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. He served as the 40th Governor of the state of Iowa. He was first elected in 1998 and re-elected to a second four-year term in 2002...
- Secretary of Health and Human Services: Kathleen SebeliusKathleen SebeliusKathleen Sebelius is an American politician currently serving as the 21st Secretary of Health and Human Services. She was the second female Governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009, the Democratic respondent to the 2008 State of the Union address, and chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors...
- Secretary of Education: Arne DuncanArne DuncanArne Duncan is an American education administrator and currently United States Secretary of Education. Duncan previously served as CEO of the Chicago Public Schools.-Early years and personal:...
- Director of the Office of Management and Budget: Jacob LewJacob LewJacob "Jack" J. Lew is the Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget a position he previously held from 1998 to 2001.-Early life and education:...
- Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady: Melissa WinterMelissa WinterMelissa Winter was named by Barack Obama's office of presidential transition on November 24, 2008, as Deputy Chief of Staff to the First Lady....
- Assistant to the President for Economic Policy; and
- heads of other executive departments, agencies, or offices as the Chair may designate.
Additionally, Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States...
, the first lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
, as well as various members of the administration, including Melody Barnes, Barack Obama's domestic council, participate in the Task Force.