The epidemic also affects the younger generation as 16 percent of children in the United States are obese, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, reports. Since 1980, obesity rates for children have tripled. In addition to the rising childhood obesity epidemic, Trust for America’s Health found that the baby boomer generation has a higher rate of obesity compared with previous generations.
Awareness of the obesity issue has increased, the CDC reports from 2000 to 2007, media coverage on obesity in national print and on newswires increased from about 8,000 articles to more than 28,000. Across the country, local and national programs and policies are hoping to turn the trend around, including First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign. The campaign was designed to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation. Let’s Move aims to support parents, provide healthier food in schools, help children be more active, and make healthy and affordable food available across the country.