Childhood Obesity
The rising rate of childhood obesity is the single biggest health issue in the United States. One out of every three young people are overweight because of a number of growing trends, including the convenience of fast food, the high cost of healthier options, and a lack of access to resources that can help children and their families live better. With this rise, too, comes a greater incidence of obesity-related health issues that drive up the cost of health care, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Because children have limited ability to control their own circumstances – where they go to school, which doctor they see, what types of snacks are available at home – any approach to eradicating childhood obesity must focus on systemic changes as well as individual ones, and address all factors and environments that affect a child’s life. And for every dollar invested in prevention, the benefits are many – from reduced health care costs to the emergence of a healthier, more active generation of American kids.
Programs
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Youth Advisory Board
The Alliance's Youth Advisory Board is one of the only youth-led advisory groups in the country focused…
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Healthy Out-of-School Time
In one of the first efforts of its kind, the Alliance is providing guidance for communities nationwide…
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Healthy Schools Program
Today, nearly one out of every three young people in America, ages 2 to 19, is already overweight…
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Healthier Generation Benefit
Until recently, few insurance plans covered the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. To…
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School Beverage Agreement
Soft drinks and sugary juices are a major source of empty calories in school cafeterias. Between 2004…
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Recent News
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Empowering Others to Live Healthy
Being on the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Youth Advisory Board has helped me to influence my…
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A Slideshow Celebrating International Women's Day
Over the past 11 years we've been working to strengthen opportunity for women and girls around the world…
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How You Helped Build a Better World in 2012
In 2012, we reached new milestones across our programs including: improving access to pediatric medicines…
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Voices from Team Healthier Generation: Jean Chatzky
Jean Chatzky is award-winning journalist, best-selling author, and the financial editor for NBC’s Today…
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Rio Hondo Elementary School: A Culture of Healthy Learning
There is increasing evidence that students who eat a healthy breakfast and participate in daily physical…
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