The cause is unassailable. One in three American kids, about 25 million, are obese or overweight. Obesity-related diseases cost the healthcare system $150 billion a year. And the rate of obesity in kids tripled in the United States between 1980 and 1999, an epidemic blamed on lack of exercise, a poor diet that's heavy on fat and sugar and not enough fresh fruits and vegetables.
Now, First Lady Michelle Obama is making the issue her own, spearheading a campaign to inform parents about choices and schools about their responsibilities, urging everyone to get up and move. Her goal: Eliminate childhood obesity within a generation. "We can't afford to wait," she says.
And everyone is applauding -- President Obama, who is pushing for reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act with a "historic" $10-billion investment over 10 years to improve the quality of school meals; the Centers for Disease Control, which has launched its own campaign on the issue; as well as the Disney Corp., which is planning public service announcements about the need for kids to exercise.