The Childhood Obesity Task Force report is an important blueprint for the public health community to adopt to address an epidemic that threatens the health and well-being of our children. We commend the Administration for bringing together practical solutions that will give children a chance to be active, make healthier food choices and prevent obesity-related diseases. The American Heart Association has long recognized the need to give children a healthy start and has been working in different areas to increase opportunities for children to learn and maintain healthy behaviors through policy initiatives, programs and through our leadership in creating voluntary agreements with the food and beverage industry.

We welcome the report's recommendations to ensure access to healthy, affordable food with the development of healthy food retailing, farmers' markets and community garden programs in underserved communities. We're also pleased that the Task Force supports the importance of food labeling to help consumers choose healthy options for their children's meals. Increasing physical activity in schools and communities is a critical component in the fight against childhood obesity as more areas develop walking and biking paths and establish shared use agreements to make school recreation/fitness facilities open to the community. Schools must also strengthen physical education and nutrition standards and establish local wellness policies to help children build healthy minds and bodies. Finally, empowering parents with information to make good choices will enable them to give their children a lesson plan for healthy living. We look forward to working closely with the Administration to implement these recommendations on the local, state and national level and pledge to continue our aggressive work in this area to halt the progression of childhood obesity.

Source
American Heart Association