First lady Michelle Obama launched a national campaign to combat childhood obesity this week, and north state health groups want people to know they're already participating.
Healthy Shasta, in partnership with Shasta County Public Health, the McConnell Foundation, the Shasta Family YMCA and three local elementary schools, has a Healthy Students Initiative in its first year that mirrors the goals of Obama's campaign, spokeswoman Amy Pendergast said.
"A lot of what she talked about in announcing her new initiative overlaps with Healthy Shasta," she said.
The Healthy Students Initiative is a seven-year project to develop and implement solutions to address and prevent childhood obesity in Shasta County. A 2004 study by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy showed 23 percent of children in Shasta County are overweight. A separate study conducted in 2006 showed the cost associated with obesity and physical inactivity was nearly $253 million during that year.
The program has equipped participating schools with kitchen supplies and physical