WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Now that First Lady Michelle Obama has made the fight
against childhood obesity a national priority, health policy experts are
gathering in Washington today to consider a series of proposals. Among them:
• Penny-per-ounce tax on non-diet soda pop to make it more expensive to drink
sugary substances.
• Farm subsidies that put a premium on the production of healthy fruits and
vegetables instead of crops that go into junk food.
• Removal of chips and cookies from school vending machines.
• Workplace incentives to recognize that normal-weight children are less likely
to need medical care, which cuts down on companies' medical costs.
But these and other proposals being discussed by doctors, policy experts and
others at today's forum by Health Affairs, a policy journal, are considered
starting points, and all are unsettled.
What about personal responsibility in the home?
"Personal responsibility gets you to first base," said Dr. Leonard Trasande,
co-director of the Children's Environmental Health Center at Mount Sinai School
of Medicine. Getting to the other bases, he said, will require social and
economic considerations as well.
Source : Cleveland Live
