Wednesday, April 04, 2007

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: A Suggestion For Their Childhood Obesity Program

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation plans to spend $ 500 million over the next 5 years to combat childhood obesity in the U.S. . The foundation estimates that 1/3 of children under 17 are obese. It says that many of these children are poor and live in neighborhoods where outdoor play and exercise is unsafe and there is limited access to fresh fruit and vegetables. According to the foundations director Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, " In many cases the environment makes it almost impossible for them to choose healthy lifestyles".

The foundation should consider this. If heroin from Afghanistan or cocaine from Columbia or meth from out of state labs can be delivered fresh and affordably priced to these very same " environments" why can't fresh fruit and veggies? People choose their lives. Create the demand and then the supply will come.

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