Here in our city, we have an overall childhood overweight/obesity rate of about 55 percent. But the rate for North Philadelphia is an even more alarming 70 percent!
Everyone knows that a cure for the obesity epidemic cannot come from government alone. Everyone has to step up and do his or her part to end this public-health crisis, which will not only leave us diseased, disabled or dead, but bankrupt, too.
Though he's just 15, Tyler McCardell, of Kirkwood, Pa., has stepped up as an example to his peers through his participation in the empowerME Movement, a 2.3 million-kids-strong "by kids, for kids" initiative that inspires children to make lifestyle choices of healthy eating and exercise, as well as to become leaders and advocates in their communities.
Tyler's one of 24 tweens and teens appointed this year to the Youth Advisory Board of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which created the empowerME Movement. The organization was founded by the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association.
Tyler told me he got involved because he wanted "to be a part of the solution to reverse this [childhood obesity] trend."
He believes that "kids do want to be healthy. But I think the two main challenges are advertising and video games. You never see advertisements for eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. They don't have the billions of dollars like Hershey and Pepsi."
The wise teen also believes that our national obsession with standardized testing has schools concentrating on test scores but neglecting equally important issues like health, fitness and nutrition.
