Finally, Good News on the Childhood Obesity Battlefront (Map Infographic)

You don't often read "good news" and "childhood obesity" in the same sentence, so I'm thrilled to share this tidbit with you. A new CDC report shows a glimmer of hope in the battle against childhood obesity: 19 states saw a "small but significant decline" in preschooler obesity rates from 2008 to 2011 (take a look at the map to see if your state has made progress).

While the study of 12 million U.S. children between ages 2 and 4 is promising, the CDC director points out that we still have a long way to go in the fight against childhood obesity. Overall, one in eight preschoolers in the U.S. is obese, and the rates are higher among African-American and Hispanic children. But the latest stats seem to indicate a national turnaround -- after about two depressing decades of a steady increase in childhood obesity rates.

First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" Program, which encourages 60 minutes of active playtime a day, and the replacement of the food pyramid with the "MyPlate" icon, seem to be helping children from low-income families. Yay!

Let's hope the CDC and White House keep up their work on this hugely important public health issue. Have you been encouraging your family to eat smarter portions and keep moving? Today is a great day to get started!

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