by Amy Spangler
February 16, 2010

First Lady Michelle Obama put eliminating childhood obesity at the top of her to-do list with the launch of Let’s Move, her much anticipated anti-obesity campaign. Mrs. Obama is hoping to reverse a dangerous and costly trend. Currently, one out of three children in the United States (U.S.) is overweight or obese. Among black children the rate is even higher, affecting one out of two children. For the first time since 1968, life expectancy is projected to decline.

Several high profile organizations and industries have agreed to join forces with the First Lady. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announced that from now on its members will be encouraged to routinely measure body mass index (BMI), a measure of obesity, in their young patients. In addition, the beverage industry has promised to clearly label sugary drinks, and the food industry has promised to reduce the amount of sugar in school lunches.

But limiting sugar and measuring fat is only part of the solution. Keeping children from getting fat in the first place is the ultimate goal; a goal that many argue is best achieved when children are breastfed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was among the first to recognize the importance of breastfeeding as a strategy for preventing obesity. In 1999, the CDC funded obesity prevention programs in 25 U.S. states. Each program targeted five areas:

• Increase physical activity
• Increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables
• Decrease the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages
• Increase breastfeeding initiation, duration, and exclusivity
• Reduce the consumption of high -nergy dense foods
• Decrease television viewing

Importance of breastfeeding
New York State recently identified five strategies for improving health with breastfeeding among them. Black children are least likely to be breastfed and most likely to be overweight or obese. According to the CDC, in 2008 only 20 percent of African American mothers breastfed exclusively for six months compared to 40 percent of Hispanic mothers and 35 percent of white mothers.

Knowing that Michelle Obama breastfed both her daughters, breastfeeding advocates are hopeful that breastfeeding will become a core component of her anti-obesity campaign. Many would like the First Lady to publicly endorse breastfeeding, but whether that will happen remains to be seen, given that prior support for breastfeeding by the Federal government has a somewhat checkered past.

The controversy surrounding the National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign launched in 2004 is still fresh in the minds of many. In a battle perceived by many as health versus wealth, the formula industry thought the campaign messages were too strong, while breastfeeding advocates felt they weren’t strong enough. The fact that it was a groundbreaking campaign that went further than any previous administration was lost in the debate along with its message that “Babies were born to be breastfed.” But if anyone can elevate the discussion of breastfeeding, it’s the First Lady.

Solving the problem of childhood obesity won’t be easy. Changing how and what America’s kids eat will require the cooperation of everyone involved in food production, distribution, and marketing—parents, teachers, childcare providers, health care providers, farmers, distributors, media outlets, and government agencies. It’s a battle we can’t afford to lose. The lives of our children depend on it.