[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 172 (Tuesday, September 6, 2011)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 55207-55208]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-22928]
[[Page 55205]]
Vol. 76
Tuesday,
No. 172
September 6, 2011
Part III
The President
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Proclamation 8702--National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2011
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 172 / Tuesday, September 6, 2011 /
Presidential Documents
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Title 3--
The President
[[Page 55207]]
Proclamation 8702 of August 31, 2011
National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2011
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Since the 1970s, the rate of childhood obesity in our
country has tripled, and today a third of American
children are overweight or obese. This dramatic rise
threatens to have far-reaching, long-term effects on
our children's health, livelihoods, and futures.
Without major changes, a third of children born in the
year 2000 will develop Type 2 diabetes during their
lifetimes, and many others will face obesity-related
problems like heart disease, high blood pressure,
cancer, and asthma. As a Nation, our greatest
responsibility is to ensure the well-being of our
children. By taking action to address the issue of
childhood obesity, we can help America's next
generation reach their full potential.
Together, we can stop this epidemic in its tracks. Over
the last year and a half, the First Lady's Let's Move!
initiative has brought together Federal agencies and
some of the biggest corporations and nonprofits from
across our country, working to meet our national goal
of solving the problem of childhood obesity within a
generation. Let's Move! aims to help ensure we can make
healthy choices about the foods we eat and how much
exercise we get, while building the habits necessary to
tackle one of the most urgent health issues we face in
this country. I invite all Americans to visit
LetsMove.gov to learn more about this initiative and
how to help children eat healthy and stay active.
Everyone has a role to play in preventing and reversing
the tide of childhood obesity. This year, we announced
groundbreaking partnerships with grocery stores and
other retailers to increase access to healthy food in
underserved areas. These stores have pledged to
increase their fruit and vegetable offerings and to
open new locations in communities where nutritious food
is limited or unavailable. Childhood obesity cuts
across all cultural and demographic lines, so Let's
Move! has started initiatives to reach every cross-
section of America, from urban and rural areas to
schools, health clinics, and child care homes and
centers. These programs touch everyone, from faith-
based communities to Indian Country, empowering kids
and their families to discover the fun in healthy
eating and exercise.
Schools also have an important role in ensuring our
children live full and active lives. Last December, I
signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act into law,
enacting comprehensive change that will allow more
children to eat healthier school lunches. One of the
cornerstones of Let's Move! is the HealthierUS School
Challenge. This year, America met the goal of doubling
the number of schools meeting the Challenge's
requirements for expanding nutrition and physical
activity opportunities. These 1,250 schools have shown
that together, we can go above and beyond to give our
kids the healthy future they deserve.
We are coordinating across the Federal Government to
make our goal a reality. This year, the Federal
Government released updated Dietary Guidelines for
Americans, providing a science-based roadmap for
individuals to make healthy choices, and emphasizing
the importance of good nutrition and an active
lifestyle. We adapted the food pyramid to a new
design--
[[Page 55208]]
MyPlate--to encourage balanced meals. And our Healthy
People 2020 initiative incorporates childhood obesity
prevention in its goals for increasing the health of
all Americans.
Across our country, parents are working hard every day
to make sure their kids are healthy, and my
Administration is committed to supporting families in
their efforts. During National Childhood Obesity
Awareness Month, we recognize the outstanding work our
businesses, communities, and families are doing to help
us meet our responsibilities to our children. I urge
all Americans to help us meet our goal of solving the
problem of childhood obesity within a generation.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim September 2011 as
National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. I encourage
all Americans to take action by learning about and
engaging in activities that promote healthy eating and
greater physical activity by all our Nation's children.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord two
thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2011-22928
Filed 9-2-11; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3195-W1-P