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Minnesota Lawmaker Calls for Legislative Action to Reduce Childhood Obesity
Speaking at a recent hearing on children's issues, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D), chair of the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Children's Health, called on Congress to support legislative efforts aimed at addressing childhood obesity, the Minnesota Post reports. University of Minnesota professor Mary Story testified at the hearing, noting that obesity rates have increased dramatically, impacting children’s quality of life and “placing significant financial pressure [on] our system”. According to the Minnesota Post, in addition to fewer healthier food choices at schools and fewer opportunities for exercise, recent research suggests that environmental pollutants and changes in ozone levels may contribute to obesity and other ailments in children. Reid Ewing, a professor in the Department of City and Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah, discussed three bills created to address such concerns. The first would provide funding for safe routes to school initiatives, the second would require all federally funded roads to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists, and the third would provide funding to municipalities for the construction of low-emission transportation pathways, such as bike paths and sidewalks. Klobuchar has also sponsored the Child Nutrition Program Promotion and School Lunch Promotion Act, which grants the secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture the authority to regulate the sale of all foods and beverages in schools, beyond just lunch and breakfast, and impose nutritional standards for such foods. However, Klobuchar noted that more remains to be done by lawmakers to address these issues, adding that "kids don't have a lobbying arm, don't have access to Washington like other groups do, and that is what we have to remember when we go forward with health care and environmental policies" (Dizikes, Minnesota Post, 9/29/09). (Editor's Note: Mary Story is director of Healthy Eating Research, an RWJF national program.)