It’s been a good couple of weeks for kids. A flurry of media attention has focused on their health—the discouraging trends surrounding it; a call to action to by the government to turn the tide and research findings that show to improve it, there’s no place like home.   

 

Earlier this month, data was released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that found one in five kids ages 12 to 19 have abnormal lipid levels. Sadly, the report wasn’t all that startling to many health experts who know the numbers and work with kids who struggle with weight and access to healthful foods.   It fell in line with other alarming statistics such as, one in three kids born after 2000 will be a diabetic, one in two if that child is Hispanic or African American.  And just in... FDA has approved a new blood pressure medication (Benicar) designed specifically for children ages 6 to16.

 

The good news: kids can’t get a much higher profile person to be interested in their health than Michelle Obama—and she’s on board. Monday, Mrs. Obama unveiled Let’s Move -- a new nationwide campaign to combat childhood obesity. The president's advisory task force, which includes Mrs. Obama, will make recommendations for how the U.S. can:
 

A study published in next month’s issue of the American Academy of Pediatrics journal, Pediatrics, shows three home-based habits make a significant impact on whether kids achieve and stay at a healthy weight: eating family meals together; getting adequate sleep and limiting TV/screen time.  That means every parent has a pivotal role in ensuring their kids stay well—a powerful finding and a powerful message to embrace.

 

And finally, TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, a non-profit community of some of the world's most influential "thinkers and do-ers, awarded Jamie Oliver (a.k.a. Food Network’s Naked Chef) the prestigious TED Prize for 2010.    Through a series of campaigns he has created, Mr. Oliver gives people (including children) the knowledge and opportunity to enjoy good food. His most recent efforts were in Huntington, West Virginia where he hoped to get the whole community back to cooking wholesome foods in their kitchens—his acceptance speech for the TED award notes this work. It stirs the pot for change, illustrates how kids benefit from eating well and hopefully inspries all of us to do what we can.  His video clip in a WV classroom will give you pause.  He holds up various types of vegetables and asks kids to name what's in his hand.  No one can.  

 

So, it’s been a remarkable couple of weeks for shining a light on kids’ health.  
Where there's light... let there be ACTION.