Photo by Phil Skinner First lady Michelle Obama made Georgia her prime stop Wednesday to celebrate the first anniversary of her "Let's Move" campaign aimed at improving children's health.
"It's a conversation about what our kids eat and how active they are," Obama told parents and community leaders at North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, one of two stops she made in metro Atlanta. "About how they feel about themselves. And about what that means, not just their physical and emotional health, but for their success in school and in life."Obama's trip to Georgia was not accidental. Georgia has the second-highest rate of childhood obesity in the United States. Nearly one in three children ages 10 to 17 in Georgia are considered to be overweight or obese, according to the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, likely because of a combination of poor nutrition and lack of physical activity, and influenced by societal factors including family dynamics, school systems and societal norms. In turn, childhood obesity can lead to diabetes, high cholesterol and other potentially deadly problems.
What do you think about childhood obesity? Is it the schools fault or is it the parents fault? It's definitely not the child's fault. They eat what they given to eat. It is our responsibility as a parent to make sure our children are eating healthy. I understand that healthy food is not cheap. I understand that sometimes healthy food is not the quickest thing to make, but that's still an excuse. Does that mean you should always give your child hamburgers and french fries because that's what is in the neighborhood? I really believe where there is a will, there is a way. And just like you pick up a bag of processed chips, you could choose to pick up bananas. Your choice. It's so much better to prevent a problem rather than trying to solve it once it happens! Make healthy choices for your entire family.
To that end, Obama unveiled a public service campaign to provide parents and families information on healthy food and physical activity. She spent the early afternoon at Atlanta Public School's Burgess-Peterson Academy handing out snacks of fresh blueberries and touring the East Atlanta school's organic garden.
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