Tag: children
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White House Child Obesity Task Force Issues Action Plan
While the president’s Task Force on Childhood Obesity released its action plan with 70 specific recommendations to significant praise and fanfare this week, nutrition professor and author Marion Nestle questioned whether the ideas will actually work given their reliance on voluntary collaboration and participation. She said in her blog, “Voluntary, as evidence demonstrates, does not…
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San Francisco Supervisor Seeks to Outlaw Fast Food Toys
A San Francisco elected official has reportedly asked the city attorney to draft an ordinance that would prohibit “fast food restaurants from including toys with meals marketed at children that are high calorie, high sugar and high in fat.” The request comes after the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors’ recent approval of a similar…
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FTC Creates Website to Educate Children About Advertising for Foods and Other Products
Featuring colorful graphics purporting to hawk products ranging from sugar-sweetened cereals and acne medication to sporting goods and meals sold at fast-food restaurants, a new website created by the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) Bureau of Consumer Protection seeks to provide children with the tools they need to properly understand and assess commercial speech. Designed for…
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House and Senate Lawmakers Introduce Obesity-Related Legislation
Bipartisan House sponsors of a bill (H.R. 5209) that would establish a comprehensive national approach to addressing obesity in the United States held a press conference to unveil the measure on May 5, 2010. Appearing with Representatives Ron Kind (D-Wis.), Mary Bono Mack (R-Cal.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), and Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) to introduce the Healthy Communities…
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Liverpool Weighs Ban on Word “Obesity”
The Liverpool City Council is reportedly considering a ban on the word “obesity” after the Liverpool Schools Parliament, a student body organization, expressed concern that some could find the term offensive. Although some experts have apparently disputed this contention, suggesting that the word adequately reflects the severity of the health condition, students argue that the…
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Corporate Watchdog Launches Campaign to “Retire Ronald McDonald”
Comparing fast-food advertising icon Ronald McDonald to Joe Camel, Corporate Accountability International has initiated a campaign calling on McDonald’s Corp. to “Retire Ronald.” The campaign is based on a report, “Clowning with Kids’ Health,” that calls the character “the product of a well-orchestrated and shrewd marketing strategy” that targets those most vulnerable to food-industry marketing—children. The…
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Claudia Kalb, “Culture of Corpulence,” Newsweek, March 22, 2010
This article invokes public-health campaigns of the past, including measures taken to increase seat belt use and stop drunk driving, to call for “big-think solutions” to the nation’s obesity problems. The author outlines the factors that have led to a tripling of obesity rates among teenagers, such as a decrease in physical activity; ubiquitous high-calorie,…
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Task Force on Childhood Obesity Requests Public Help
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education and Health and Human Services have requested public input to assist the Task Force on Childhood Obesity. President Barack Obama (D) created the task force in February 2010 to enhance coordination among private sector companies, nonprofits, government agencies, and other organizations to address the critical health issue. The task force…