In a Nov. 15 column on Tennessean.com, the CEO of Nashville Public Television called upon state leaders to make a more concerted effort to combat rising rates of childhood obesity
We all know that children need to eat a nutritional diet and get plenty of exercise, but we also know, as we do with tobacco use, that as a community we have a personal responsibility to our children that demands our leadership.
Important work has already begun in a number of areas, from the state to the local level, from foundations to individuals, but the work must continue. Together, we must look at the policies, systems and communities surrounding these children that have allowed this epidemic to take shape and thrive. …
We'd never question the detrimental health effects that smoking can have on developing lungs and young bodies. Why don't we question the obesity-related illnesses that a generation of obese children is facing, including heart disease, stroke, asthma and certain types of cancer? The time is now, Tennessee, to take childhood obesity seriously and to decide to turn it around.
The full text of Beth Curley’s commentary may be accessed here.
Labels: childhood_obesity
Posted By: My Overweight Child
