Michelle Obama: Let's Move And The Defense Department
Let's Move!
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Since I have seen so many stupid people talking about how the First Lady was trying to force children to eat better etc... I just figured I would make this little picture. The Defense Department and The Pentagon are very worried about the United States being able to find healthy recruits since so many children are overweight. So think before you open your ignorant Tea Billy mouths.You Tea Billy F***Tards sure like waving the flag. How about you support out First Lady and help us keep a tip top shape pool of young people to send off to fight for our corporations overseas. ;)
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DOD Takes Steps to Combat Childhood Obesity
By
Elaine Wilson
American
Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON,
Feb. 9, 2011 – The Defense Department has joined forces with the nation to
combat a childhood obesity epidemic that not only is a matter of health or
nutrition, but also is a national security issue, a Pentagon official said.
“When
the nation as a whole lacks in this issue, it’s pervasive,” Barbara Thompson,
co-chair of DOD’s working group to combat obesity, told American Forces Press
Service, noting obesity’s impact on everything from recruiting to the
nation’s health system.
Today,
First Lady Michelle Obama marked the one-year anniversary of her “Let’s Move”
campaign, a nationwide initiative to promote making healthy food choices and
increasing physical activity within homes, schools and communities. The aim,
Obama has said, is to solve America’s childhood obesity epidemic within a
generation.
“The
physical and emotional health of an entire generation and the economic health
and security of our nation is at stake,” Obama said at the Let’s Move launch
last year.
America’s
childhood obesity rates have tripled in the past 30 years, according to the
Let’s Move website. Today, nearly one in three American children and about
one in four military children are overweight or obese. This issue has a
tremendous impact on the health system, and from a military standpoint, it
can affect everything from recruiting and retention to the force’s ability to
fight, said Thompson, who also serves as the director of the Pentagon’s
office of family policy, children and youth.
Thompson
cited a report called “Too Fat to Fight,” which states that 75 percent of
Americans ages 17 to 24 are unable to join the military for various reasons,
with being overweight or obese the leading medical cause.
“When
you take into account that 50 percent of military youth enter the military or
consider entering the military, that’s a huge pool we need to be focused on,”
Thompson said.
Spurred
on by the first lady’s efforts, the Defense Department formed a childhood
obesity working group in August, with a committee of nearly 30 helping
professionals from a variety of military backgrounds and expertise, Thompson
said. The group includes pediatricians, family medicine physicians,
dietitians, nurses, public health professionals, military and civilian
personnel experts, family and child and youth professionals, and
representatives from the Defense Commissary Agency, the Department of Defense
Education Activity, and Morale, Welfare and Recreation.
To
tackle a daunting task, the group divided into four subcommittees: nutrition
and health for children from birth to age 18, the Military Health System,
food and fitness environments and education and strategic communications.
The
committee then set out on a mission to improve the health and nutrition of
military families, Thompson said.
“We’re
developing a strategic action plan that cuts across the DOD’s food
environment,” she explained. “We have to look at our food courts, our school
menus, how physically friendly is the installation so children can walk to
school and bike to school to increase their physical activity, for example.
“It’s a
very comprehensive look at what we can do as a department to help our
families make the right choices for their families,” she added.
They’ve
already made considerable progress, Thompson noted. With the Army taking the
lead, officials are creating standardized menus for child development centers
to ensure the centers are meeting children’s nutritional needs. They’re also
working with vendors who supply the centers’ food to ensure they’re getting
the freshest vegetables, lower-fat cuts of meat and less processed food laden
with fats, salt and sugar.
Since
children receive about two-thirds of their daily nutrition requirement while
in military child care centers, these efforts are poised to have a
significant impact, Thompson said, also noting that military youth and child
development centers serve about 700,000 military youth on any given day.
“It’s a
wonderful opportunity to impact the way they think about healthy lifestyles,”
she said.
Additionally,
the committee is working to develop community gardens, healthy cooking
classes and classes on the relationship between finances and food. Eating at
home, for example, generally is less expensive than eating out, Thompson
said.
Thompson
also cited progress within the civilian sector that the military can adopt.
The first lady is working with a major “super store” chain to reduce the
number of products high in fat, salt and sugar and to boost the number of
fruits and vegetables it offers, she explained, and commissary officials are
looking into this as well. Commissaries already have increased the sales of
fresh fruits and vegetables, she noted.
Additionally,
the department is working to offer more healthy choices in vending machines,
schools, dining facilities, clubs, bowling centers, food courts, and any
other on-base locale that offers food, she said.
These
changes not only will affect children in the short term with better stamina
and well-being, but also will have a significant impact on their long-term
health, Public Health Service Cmdr. (Dr.) Aileen Buckler, working group
co-chair and TRICARE population health physician, told American Forces Press
Service.
When a
child is overweight or obese, particularly obese, she explained, they’re at a
much higher risk of cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure
and elevated cholesterol, as well as increased blood sugars, which can lead
to higher rates of Type 2 diabetes at younger ages than what was seen in the
past.
Weight
issues often follow children through the years, Buckler noted. Studies show
that about 80 percent of children ages 10 to 15 who were overweight became
obese by age 25, she said. And children who are overweight before age 8 are
more likely to have more severe obesity as an adult, which can lead to
greater risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke, certain types of cancer,
osteoarthritis and even infertility, she added.
To keep
these health issues from snowballing, Buckler’s Military Health System
subcommittee is taking action within health care offices nationwide. Members
are working on a policy memo aimed at helping pediatricians, family
physicians and civilian health care providers properly diagnose overweight
and obesity in children, track trends and offer parents ideas of how they can
help at home.
They’re
also evaluating civilian and military toolkits on childhood obesity so they
can develop a standardized toolkit for military and civilian providers, she
added. This will ensure they reach the widest scope of children, including
those of National Guard and Reserve families.
Along
with new initiatives, the committee is taking current, effective programs
into account, Thompson said. The committee has gathered an inventory of
current service programs to learn from effective practices with an aim to
expand those programs across the department, she said.
But the
department can’t accomplish this alone, Thompson noted. “It takes a village
to make good change,” she said. “We need to bring the message to the
important adults in their lives. And as adults, we need to be good role
models for our children.”
Thompson
summed up a healthy family goal with the aid of a few numbers:
five-two-one-zero. People, she explained, should aim for five servings of
fruits and vegetables a day, two hours or less of screen time, one hour of
physical activity and zero sugary drinks.
About 40
percent of children’s calories are empty ones, she noted. “That is a real
concern that they’re not getting enough vitamins and fiber,” she said.
The
working group is factoring in the additional challenges military families
face, Buckler noted, such as multiple deployments and frequent moves. During
a deployment, for example, the at-home parent may find it more difficult to
find time to shop for healthy foods or take children to physical activities
such as soccer or basketball, she said.
“It
probably makes eating healthy and getting activity into your life harder,”
she acknowledged.
But
military parents can take smaller steps toward change to start, she noted.
They can choose skim milk instead of whole or reduced-fat milk or take a
family walk or bike ride after dinner rather than turning on the TV.
“You can
go play kickball or throw a ball around,” she suggested. “The goal is to get
out of the house, get moving and away from the television.”
Thompson
said she’s optimistic about the changes that have occurred and what is yet to
come.
“The
committee’s members are very passionate and committed to making positive
changes,” she said. Thompson said the group plans to publish a full report
with the group’s progress and recommendations in the spring.
Meanwhile,
for more information on a healthy lifestyle, people can visit a service
health and wellness facility, check in with a base fitness center or visit
the Let’s Move campaign website at http://www.letsmove.gov
or Military OneSource at http://militaryonesource.com.
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