Alliance for a Healthier Generation

Hey all,

This arm of the William J. Clinton Foundation focuses on fighting childhood obesity. Clearly, this is a problem in this country. As I've expressed in previous posts, I agree that this is a major problem, and something needs to be done about it immediately. With increasing rates of type 2 diabetes, the United States is a facing an emerging epidemic, yet there are many other problems relating to obesity (heart disease, certain cancers, etc.). Children and teenagers present an excellent opportunity to reverse chronic health problems because they are more likely to permanently change health behaviors. The approach taken by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation is a four pronged one. School is the first one, and, while it is obvious, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation focuses on teaching parents, teachers, and principles about health promotion, healthy eating, and physical activity to decrease obesity and improve health of children. The second prong is children themselves. They use children and popular names or outlets for children to educate, engage, and activate healthy lifestyles. The third prong is healthcare; consequently, prevention, treatment, and the diagnosis of obesity by these agencies is the main goal here. The final prong is by working with industries to provide healthier food for children. They are, in my opinion, moving in the right direction towards solving this problem. If we don't fix it now, the solutions in the future will cost much more.