U.S. Failing to Help Obese Kids (barf alert)

Reuters ^ | 9-13-06 | Reuters

[Tired of Taxes]

WASHINGTON - While there has been progress against child obesity in the U.S., government efforts to do something about it remain underfunded and there's no way to tell what programs actually work, the Institute of Medicine, one of the nation's leading scientific advisory groups, said on Wednesday.

The need for action is clear. By the end of the decade, it's projected that one in five American children will be obese. Currently, 17.1 percent of children and youth are overweight, an increase from 16 percent in 2002.

At least one program that succeeded just lost its federal funding, the IOM experts said.

[letsgonova19087]

Fat kids? I blame Bush.

[Borges]

U.S. Failing to Help Obese Kids

It would be amusing to juxtapose this sentence with another headling like 'U.S. Failing to Help Hungry Kids'

[glorgau]

The need for action is clear.

i.e. spend more of the that "free" taxpayer money.

[TimeLord]

All together now...1...2...3: "IT'S BUSH'S FAULT!"

[dfwgator]

government efforts to do something about it remain underfunded and there's no way to tell what programs actually work

How about eating less?

[RebekahT]

No worries...as soon as we get Mike Huckabee in the White House, there won't be any more fat kids in America.. /sarcasm

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

When they finally get this squared away, I want them to get started on the problems of potty training.

[capt. norm]

That's probably how a lot of them became obese....waiting for someone else to do things for them and take care of them.

[letsgonova19087]

The most amazing thing is how people go on and on about how terrible the economy is and how the middle class is being destroyed and so on... the obesity rate is going up! People sure are eating lots of food in this terrible economy.

[familyop]

It's the growth hormones. It's in their genes. ...fat germs blowing in from the Gulf of Mexico. Yeah, that's it.

[letsgonova19087]

Dammit...I told Rove to go a little slower on the obesity machine...just wait till they find out its only liberal kids who are getting fatter...then they'll REALLY be on to us!

[Pirate21]

Now, what party is it that wants the solution to every problem to come from the government???

Come on, folks - BE PARENTS!!! Oh wait, this would be the Gen-X'ers who are aging (not growing up) and having kids.

[Tired of Taxes]

I have two screens displayed with this article. One says "updated 19 minutes ago" and the source is Reuters; I checked after posting, and now it says "updated 8 minutes ago" and the source is AP. Hope that's not a problem.

[letsgonova19087]

Probly inherited it from their parents.

[Gordongekko909]

I propose a Running of the Fat Kids. Every year, we get all the fat kids together, put them in pens, douse them with Twinkies and Coca-Cola to agitate them, and then let them run loose in the streets. The brave men of the town can then run away from them in order to prove their manhood to the women they love.

Or something. I think it's a good idea.

[csvset]

While there has been progress against child obesity in the U.S., government efforts to do something about it remain underfunded and there's no way to tell what programs actually work,

Run ! Get them out and on the track.

[Gordongekko909]

Silly Gen-Xers. Gen Y pwns.

[John Jorsett]

Tomorrow there'll be a story about how efforts to alleviate child hunger are underfunded. Next day there'll be a story about how the normal weight kids are being neglected because the fat and hungry kids are getting all the money.

[letsgonova19087]

It would have the added benefit of letting them run off some of those calories, too. Sounds good to me. My only question would be, what happens if the Fat Kids catch you?