The statistics are startling. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of obese high school students has nearly tripled in the past three years. Thirty-two percent of children diagnosed with diabetes in one study had type 2 diabetes—the type normally associated with obese adults. Obesity among children, once a rarity, has become an epidemic in this country. We must do more to ensure the health of America’s children.

Fortunately, schools across the country are responding to this health crisis. Many innovative programs are taking place at the local or school district level, but all too often those programs operate in a vacuum and are not publicized, even in neighboring counties. That’s why The Council of State Governments—whose childhood obesity prevention efforts are supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) through the Leadership for Healthy Communities national program—visited a select group of exemplary programs. These programs take place at schools recognized by The Alliance for a Healthier Generation and Health Magazine as some of the healthiest in the country.

Target Audience: Grantees, Policy-Makers, Policy Influencers and School Administrators

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