September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
Welcome to an Important Cause
In the past four decades, obesity rates in the United States have soared among all age groups. This rise in obesity rates has affected our youth in alarming fashion. Childhood obesity has increased more than fourfold among those ages 6 to 11. More than 23 million children and teenagers in the United States ages 2 to 19 are obese or overweight, a statistic that health and medical experts consider an epidemic. And this epidemic puts nearly one third of America’s children at early risk for Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and even stroke – conditions usually associated with adulthood. Even greater disparities exist among young Hispanics and children of color.
But there are opportunities every day to change these trends. And this September, there is an extraordinary opportunity to build awareness and take action – nationally, as well as in your state, city, workplace and home.
Get Involved in Three Simple Steps
Involve Your Community
Childhood obesity isn’t limited to one state or town. It’s a nationwide concern. Download our online toolkit – complete with sample PSAs, proclamations, and news releases – for quick, easy ideas for bringing National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month to your community.
Use the Tools
An online toolkit provides information, Web links and tools to promote and celebrate September as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. We wish you much success in helping the U.S. ensure a healthier future for our most important resource: our children. Download the COAM toolkit today.
"For the first time, the nation will have goals, benchmarks, and measureable outcomes that will help us tackle the childhood obesity epidemic one child, one family, and one community at a time,"
First Lady Michelle Obama