Let’s Move: Michelle Obama launches her obesity campaign

The first lady calls on all of us to help fight for our children’s health.

Wed, Feb 10 2010 at 11:21 AM EST

photo: Let's Move Facebook Page

My husband received an e-mail from Michelle Obama yesterday. Here’s how it started:

Good Afternoon,

I’m writing to share a startling prospect: due to rising levels of childhood obesity, our Nation’s youngest generation could actually face a shorter expected lifespan than its parents.

That’s unacceptable. As Americans, we all work tirelessly to provide a better world for the next generation. As a mother, I can tell you that nothing is as important as a child’s health.

The problem is clear. Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in this country have tripled. Today, obesity and excess weight threaten the health of one out of three American children.

It’s time for us to act. That's why I’m asking you to be part of Let's Move! -- a nationwide effort to solve the obesity epidemic within one generation.

The first lady doesn’t correspond with my husband regularly, but yesterday Michelle Obama launched her campaign against childhood obesity. The campaign has been officially titled Let’s Move. She’s looking for everyone to get involved.

There are four key components to the Let’s Move campaign.

Making Healthy Choices
Healthier Food in Schools
Access to Healthy Affordable Foods
Increased Physical Education

These components call for both personal and governmental actions. I like that. The government does need to make changes, especially changes in the school food, but families need to take responsibility, too.

There’s a lot involved with the Let’s Move campaign, and I’ll be looking over the information and bringing it to regularly.

You can follow and get involved with the Let’s Move campaign yourself several ways: the Let’s Move website, Facebook, Let’s Move blog, and YouTube (what, no Twitter?).

Some related things that happened yesterday:

President Obama established a Task Force on Childhood Obesity with a goal to “solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight.”
The USDA released a Food Environment Atlas that gives a community’s ability to access healthy food and its success in doing so.

Michelle Obama targets childhood obesity